The Greed Dam Is Broken!

July 9, 2009

By system

The plan was finished. From 1 July, all computers sold in China about the filtering software “green dam” feature. The computer program should be the Internet on pornographic and other unhealthy “content and protect the population.
But it was different. A few hours prior to the scheme announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT): The introduction of the Green Dam is indefinitely postponed. As the authorities call fundamental concern of computer manufacturers that it was impossible in China to install the filtering software to guarantee.
Criticism at all levels
Behind this laconic statement hides for Chinese relations a sensation: The government bends to public pressure and give its Internet censorship plans being back. Since receipt of the plans in early June was a fierce battle over the green dam begun.
The criticism extends to moral, technical and legal aspects. At the level of moral criticism that goes far beyond pornographic content on the green visor of the dam would be. Above all, the default, also known as “unhealthy” content on the Internet want to censor, you can sit up.
Scientists at the University of Michigan investigated and identified the software to block terms. The computer expert J. Alex Halderman told this newspaper that the political content about the events at Tiananmen Square on 4 July 1989 were censored.
Glaring technical weaknesses
Such sensitive areas exist in many of China’s politics: Tibet, the Dalai Lama, Falun Gong – the list goes on and on. But not only political concepts come into sight of the Green Dam. The Chinese bloggers Fang Zhouzi found that even randomly selected blocks were terms such as “essence”. Fang asked: “What is the word essence unhealthy or even pornographic?” And “Is now the word essence in any textbook anymore?”
The authorities keep such allegations, contending that the government had only the development of the software commissioned and funded. The specific design is the responsibility of the manufacturers. These are the Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co. and the company Dazheng Human Language Technology Co. Academy Chenming Zhang, Jinhui manager, but the responsibility and said the central organ of the Communist party newspaper “Renmin Ribao”, that alone Dazheng The list of blocked words together.
Also technically reveals the glaring weaknesses Green dam. With the help of the software should Pigmentscannung pornographic images from the Internet filter. But as a Chinese blogger, the detection of the green nude dam tested was the big surprise: pictures of babies were blocked, including those of pigs, the sight of naked beauties, however, was colored by green dam is not prevented.
Unfettered access to private data
The scientists at the University of Michigan also found major security gaps in the program. “The update process of the software is very outdated and poses risks for users,” said computer specialist Halderman. About the Greens could dam from each visited site on the computer can be accessed.
Spam attacks are still an innocent in this sequence. Rather could freely on the private data can be accessed. Halderman therefore advises all users, the Greens dam immediately to uninstall. On the safety deficiencies raised, the authorities refer to the fact that the software is constantly being developed and will be a revised version was provided.
Also legal is a hard battle over the filter program begun. The American software producer Solid Oak claims that the green embankment, it is in parts of a pirated copy of his program developed CyberSitter. “China revealed a very loose interpretation of intellectual property,” said Solid Oak founder Brian Milburn. The company has the computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard and Dell are by injunction to the filtering software not extradite.
Impact on trade relations
American companies suggest the Beijing authorities, they wanted to only the Chinese market to keep. On 26 June turned to numerous business associations in a newspaper of this present letter to the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. These are serious concerns about the filtering software expressed. The launch would be significant issues in the areas of security, privacy and freedom of access to information pose.
A healthy and open dialogue between all stakeholders is suggested as a possible solution. Among the signatories are the presidents of the American, European and Japanese chambers of commerce in China, Watkins, Wuttke and Aoyama, and the President of the Business Software Alliance, Robert W. Holleyman, inter alia, the interests of Apple, Cisco, Dell, HP, Microsoft and Siemens.
Detuned react the political partner of China. Ian Kelly, spokesman for the American Foreign Ministry, told the Financial Times: “We are concerned in relation to the Green Dam – both in terms of potential impact on the trade side, as well as what the serious technical problems are concerned.”
Stopped
What exactly the reasons for the withdrawal of the Chinese authorities, is uncertain. The MIIT refers to the complaints of foreign computer companies, but Guobin Yang, a professor at Columbia University and author of a study on the Chinese Internet, in particular, the massive resistance movement of Internet users is the main cause.
“It has developed a broad front of opposition. Ordinary Internet users, bloggers, experts and the media – they all participated. But above all, the Chinese wave was crucial. “Responsible Here is the famous artist Ai Weiwei. His blog was even numerous times a victim of censorship. He called for joint Internet boycott for 1 July. “I feel the Internet is the only way to today’s China to democracy and a civil society to lead,” said Ai, in an interview with Radio Free Asia.
The Chinese government aims to build a “harmonious society”. Provisionally, it seems as if critics of the green embankment, the authorities in the knees. But the introduction of censorship software is merely postponed. Previously, according to government data provided by the Green Dam 7.17 million times from the corresponding web page is downloaded. 2.62 million computers in schools and 4.7 million Internet cafes are being protected by the Green Dam.

Google will always be locked
The ideal of a “green” Internet, free of “unhealthy” content, will be pursued. We are, therefore, the search engine Google in the focus of the Chinese Government. As the state television CCTV reported, would in the search for the word “child” (son) references to pornographic pages listed. To protect the population, would therefore functions as the associated word search off.
The site Google.com is periodically momentarily again completely blocked. In the event that Google is not cooperating, the “China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center” is already threatened with further reprisals. Google will be remorseful and announced a full investigation.
In the meantime, reflect the Beijing city authorities to an old Chinese strength: the power of the masses. Additional 10,000 online professional investigators to the Internet for “unhealthy content” scan.

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