The OpenNet site offers PDF and HTML reports on its findings. Bulletin 012 is frightening enough in its description of new rules for Internet use, which starts with the reasonable requests (not spreading false rumors) and heads toward the monitoring of communication and news gathering. Blogcritics Magazine would not be welcome under these regulations.
China has "the most extensive and effective legal and technological systems for Internet censorship and surveillance in the world." The new Internet news regulations make several specific regulatory changes that strengthen China's grip on news media. More broadly, the regulations demonstrate a continued determination on the part of the Chinese state to align the content of the Internet with official views and policies. While the long-term implications of the regulations are not yet clear, Chinese citizens and organizations involved in Internet news, analysis, or commentary will likely continue doing so warily, if at all.
It was also reported the Chinese have made a new word, "egao," which is used to make satirical references to "social phenomena" using media clips. "Mash up" is our new word for it. Fines of what would be large money in yuan ($600+ US) could be levied for anybody on the 'Net satirizing others, especially using video clips.
The issue of the nature, the freedom, and the future of the Internet is being discussed this week as Internet experts meet in Greece. This is to be the first Internet Governance Forum (IGF) sponsored by the U.N. A major topic is going to probably be "grumblings" about America's dominance of the 'Net as it is presently organized. This is a four day affair in Athens.
A number of countries, like China and Iran, complained about "... having the key Internet systems managed by the California-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit organization under tender from the US Department of Commerce." The meeting will have "...major industry players including Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, Fujitsu and Ericsson."
The question, now that study about the Internet is entering the world rather than being a question of just those who study, design, and play with computers and networks, is about the nature of human actions, reactions, and interactions. It is becoming a question of individual freedom, freedom of expression, proliferation of hate sites, and of the hate for pornography that has blossomed on the once military web.
Article comments
1 - Bliffle
Naaah. As a user of the internet (originally called ARPA when it was just mimeographed synopses and abstracts of various grad student papers mailed among grad schools), and a technical implementor of several proprietary networks such as IBM SNA and DECnet, I'm here to tell you that circumvention of attempts to control and stifle "internet" activity are doomed.
Why? Because the underlying technology is decentralized. Anyone with primitive internet TCP/IP on their PC is capable of hooking into an underground secure network through a shift-register modulated spread spectrum broadcast system which is not only data secure but undetectable! All one needs is a simple modulator/demodulator for an RF network that could, for example, exploit the 2.4ghz cordless phone band. Childs play.
2 - Deano
Ummmm...Wow. Is dilithim involved? Anywhere?