On 30 June the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said that China will delay mandatory installation of the controversial “Green Dam – Youth Escort” filtering software on new computers, because some computer producers have demanded extra time for such a massive installation. According to the MIIT’s previous announcement, all computers produced or sold in China were scheduled to have this software pre-installed starting July 1. But the MIIT will continue to provide a free download of the software and equip school and Internet bar computers with it after July 1. The MIIT will continue to solicit opinions to perfect the pre-installation plan. The software is designed to block violent and pornographic content on the Internet, to protect minors. It could also help parents control how much time their children spend online. The MIIT says the pre-installation will not be compulsory, as the software can easily be switched off and uninstalled by computer users. It will not track the online activities of users or collect any information about users. Accusations about privacy invasion by the software and concerns that it would create a block in information flow, which have been raised by a few overseas media and institutions, are groundless and irresponsible.
(Source: news.qianlong.com / SinoFile)
OK guys, let’s wait and see…