Green Dam: No Longer Required… For Most Of Us, Anyway

Remember Green Dam, that software that had the world grilling China for its stepped-up censorship efforts? Well, that thing isn’t dead yet — but it’s not coming back alive either. Green Dam was quickly shelved like a few hours before the July 1, 2009 deadline, and word has it that it’s coming back — but in a very “mum” way.

For one thing, it won’t be required on all computers — and we haven’t heard much about a Mac version. What’s most likely to happen is that it’ll be required in schools and Internet cafés — places that have never been (at least not recently) associated with libre speech, but for the masses who buy their PCs it won’t be required. Ministers have been quoted as saying that the software will not be made compulsory and be installed by force on every new computer (and at the same time, they’ve also criticized the critics for politicizing the whole issue).

Green Dam has made a lot of concessions (so to speak). First, it became required — then un-installable — then optional — then shelved — and now, again optional (this time, it’s likely to be “very” optional). It looks like the censors have to put up with the force that is the vox populi.

Remember the #080808 Hashtag?

Just a year ago this day, the Beijing Olympics got off to a start. Whether it was a bang or a whimper (as in the massively stepped security procedures and almost-impossible-to-get PRC visas) — that we’ll let you decide. But there’s a hashtag that was part of the day: #080808.

Not just that. Everyone China or even remotely Chinese-related had #080808 on their avatars. @thecarol from Taiwan did that. @isaac did it. Everyone in the region went #080808, thanks to @flypig’s idea.

The irony of this is that, in the name of the Big Sixty coming later this year, the #080808 hashtag — along with everything else Twitter-related — appears to have been harmonized. Oh yeah — and also the Internet censorship. You could access sites you couldn’t access otherwise in China a year ago. YouTube or even BBC Chinese? Yours last year.

#Harminator’s this year.

The skies outside today in Beijing appear just as gloomy as it was a year ago. (Obviously, and we’re going off at a slant here — for the best blue skies, come in winter around January or February. Satisfaction guaranteed.)

BBS Folks in China Beware: Your IP Address May Be Recorded

These are, indeed, sensitive times. Twets from @isaac and @roseluqiu tell of horror stories that posters on especially BBS forums will have their IP addresses recorded — by force, as there are no ways to opt out.

Not known is whether or not Twitter is going to be impacted. If this worries you at all, a VPN or other reroutes are your best options.

This recent crackdown in online forums, along with a plan to have real IDs made compulsory for posters by mid-August 2009, seems to be part of a concerted plan to “harmonize” the Chinese Internet in the run-up to the Big Sixty, when the PRC turns 60 in October 2009.

China Launches Investigation Into Maps

Yes, that’s right. Maps. The 2.0 part in all this point to online maps. Here’s what’s being sniffed out right now:

• Maps containing sensitive or even military places
• Maps missing Taiwan, Hainan, and other islands “officially” belonging to the PRC
• Maps illegally created by those without the legal licenses
• Maps with the wrong scale (some maps have a maximum allowable scale of 1:50,000)
• Maps with wrong province boundaries

Suffice it to say that maps missing Taiwan, or showing military secrets, will face especially severe punishment — we smell even criminal sanctions. And nope, not even Sina, Netease and gang are exam-exempt. (Source: Beijing Morning Post via Sohu IT)

Harmonious America? US Military Ponders Banning Twitter, Facebook

Web 2.0 must-haves or “security headaches”? They’re the latter in an increasingly sensitive China — being blocked as they are in the PRC — and they could get blocked in America as well. The United States Military is thinking of a block that could envelope itself around Twitter and Facebook as well.

Boing Boing has it that the US military is no less harmonious, so to speak, than its Chinese civilian counterpart. It quotes Defense technology reporter Noah Shachtman as saying that that “the Pentagon may impose a very wide ban on Twitter and Facebook for security reasons”.

Obviously, censoring in the military is at least a bit more reasonable than stopping the citizenry from going to sites that could we — can we say this? — ”reactionary”. But once you start censoring — it’ll take quite an effort to wean away from the practise. Especially if it moves into civilian territory…

Chinese Net Comment Policy on Steroids — Your ID, Please

Shocking news in Chinese as tweeted out by @freemoren from 1984BBS: it so appears that the central propaganda authorities have meted out a requirement that all major portals in China must redo article commenting systems so that ID numbers, addresses and so on become required. Deadline: August 15, 2009.

With October 1, 2009 closing on this soon, it’s little surprise that China’s going through its Big Sixty in super-sensitive mode. YouTube, Twitter and Facebook have been down for quite a bit, and now ways around the firewall are a fact of life — no longer just an option.

I (as in @DavidFeng) am actually a supporter of the “real name system”, but even here, I disagree with its almost-immediate implementation — especially just ahead of the Big Sixty. It’s true that we remain ourselves online and are to bear the burden on what we say (hence the support for the “real name system”), but that’s only if the atmosphere becomes less charged. In this super-sensitive environment, this latest propaganda authorities order, obviously, is not a case of too little, too late — but rather too much, too soon. Not the best move they could do.

Updates:

• The Twittersphere is chiming in on this — with a whole lot of irony: 群众的一切都要求实名，官员的一切都是国家机密，好极了 (This is just great: the masses must use real names… meanwhile, everything about the officials become state secrets!)

Even the Beijing Subway Doesn’t Like the Great Firewall

Beijing’s Subway has recently been hit by at least one count of — anti-censorship stickers. It looks like one of those passengers had so much against the net blocks in force that he — resorted to George Carlin language, sticking a sticker (pardon the pun) that read: https://f***.gfw”.

The hashtag #f***GFW is often used in protest of the net censorship measures, which have removed direct access to Twitter, YouTube and a number of other social networking and Web 2.0 sites in China. And while the seemingly innocent Beijing Subway is just being hit by this, it just goes out to say how much an inconvenience the blocks are.

The sticker was found on a ticket fare gate on Line 13 — and may have been removed — but it lives on here in this picture (warning: strong language). It may have been removed as a result — after all, isn’t this micro-vandalism?

This article is cross-posted on the following textweit Content Sites: Beijing A to B (English only), techblog86

Kunming Web Cafe Installs Censorship Software…

…and yes, there’s more to it: censorship authorities in Kunming have dictated the installation of “Small Guard” censorship software, which not only harmonizes controversial content, but also has a commercial factor behind this. In yet another case of capitalism and communism coming head-on (after the fiasco created by Green Dam), the new censorship software also throws in your face — ads — and there could be a bit of profit sharing regarding those ads.

It’s at this point where all this censorship can be grilled with maximum fire. Here we have:

• software designed to censor content
• software installed on computers as required (there could be a monopoly factor in this)
• software that censors and throws ads at you
• and a fair bit of behind-the-back money sharing…

The authorities are tight-lipped: they are mentioning only the fact that the new software is required. They’re not going an inch at describing just how the money will be shared.

Very creepy. (Source: Sohu IT)

Real Name: Legit, No Excuse

An illegit excuse — that’s probably what you’re thinking of when we’re on about the real name system (实名制). Yes, illegit by all counts — until you come to terms with the fact that a double, virtual you is not exactly what your presence on the Internet is all about.

After all, some guy has got to generate the content — in your name.

This very short post points out one pointer: your real life does not cease when you tap onto that great big Internet out there. Your real name is part of Facebook and on many Twitter accounts as well. You can’t hide from yourself — on the Web. Sure, go and make up a fake name like polkadude_0123, but some real, breathing guy has got to put the content up in the first place.

So if the Web is an extension of real life, that’s a good reason to stick the Real Name System in. Sorry folks. The days of the Web as a geeks-only paradise/haven thing is now officially over.

You think this is only a “_______ist China” so-called problem? Here’s something: in terms of mobile phone registration requirements, China is more libre than Switzerland. What’s Switzerland got to do with this imbroglio? The country’s Federal Constitution explicitly bans censorship (Article 17b). And yet, Bern requires all prepaid mobile numbers to be registered — in your name. No sweat if you’re local or alien; it’s still required.

And China isn’t doing that right now.