China shuts down 47,000 'harmful' internet cafes

The Scotsman ^ | 3/3/05

[Crackingham]

China has closed 47,000 internet cafes in a campaign aimed at creating a more "wholesome environment" for children.

The country’s leaders encourage internet use for business and education, but have expressed growing concern that it gives children access to violent or sexually explicit material, and have tried to block online criticism of their Communist rule.

The cafes closed in the crackdown had been "admitting minors and engaged in dissemination of harmful cultural information", the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily said on its website.

About 21,000 of the closed cafes might be allowed to reopen after making unspecified changes. It said the business licences of 2131 were revoked.

China has the world’s second-largest number of internet users after the United States, with 87 million people online.

The government said in October that it had detained 445 people for operating websites deemed pornographic, and fined internet cafe operators a total of 100 million yuan (£6.2 million) for letting children play violent games.

[jriemer]

Take a look at jriemer's post (28) - they nailed it when it comes for the real reason the party fears a free internet.

Thanks for the ping/BTTT.
Just imagine if a Mandarin equivalent of FR existed in China. After the 2000 vote, FReeper events were erupting like chicken pox all over FL with nary a bit of "centralized control". The Poliburo doesn't have the manpower to keep something like that squashed.

[Darksheare]

True.
And bump again.
*chuckle*

[goldwater64]

Heck, I'm Catholic and if I were in China, my prayers to Pope John Paul II would have to go through Beijing. And practically everything else I'd want to do. Mao Lives.

[One Proud Son]

You are right. I see what you mean now.

[Darksheare]

Thanks.
I know it is sometimes hard to see things in that light as we aren't used to not having our freedoms.
We tend to take such simple things as internet access and telephones for granted.

[One Proud Son]

What is that supposed to mean? I was just trying to say something I thought was relevant, but as I told darksheare, I now see what you mean. Don't be condescending like the limousine liberals.

[airborne]

Don't be condescending like the limousine liberals.

I don't think you know me well enough to make a statement like that.

[airborne]

No harm intended.

Any time a government talks about limiting freedom "for the good of society", you can bet that they have an ulterior motive.

Especially when that government is Communist China.

[CDHart]

"The U.S. Government may not have a perfect track record, but they've never shut down 47,000 websites or censored access as do the Imperial Masters of Beijing."

Not yet, anyway.

Carolyn

[Doohickey]

This mean I'm going to get less spam?

[s_asher]

How about pregnant women peddling porn?

http://www.aegis.com/news/lt/2004/LT040818.html

China Grapples With New Scourge -- Yellow Discs

Los Angeles Times - August 29, 2004
John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer
Authorities, facing a growing pornography problem, crack down on X-rated material.

BEIJING - The pregnant woman slices through the crowd on a busy sidewalk.

"Yellow movie," she whispers to two passing men - the Chinese slang for pornography. Holding her belly, she guides them to a grassy area and lifts a clump of sod to reveal several knockoff discs from the U.S. and Japan.

Her eyes darting, looking for police, she makes the sale: 20 yuan, or about $2.40, for two video compact discs. Then, as quickly as she appeared, the soon-to-be mom is gone.

In cities across China, women hustle porn on pedestrian overpasses and at tunnel entrances. Many are pregnant; others carry 1-year-olds, often rented for as little as a dollar a day. The babies are both props and shields: They enable buyers to immediately identify the sellers, and the women exploit a loophole in Chinese criminal law that allows for only a brief detainment of pregnant women or those with infants.

[Steve Van Doorn]

”Anyone who thinks that it is a child's "right" to be able to look at porn can pack THEIR shit and move to China.”

”Do you truly believe that it has anything to do with blocking porn?”

”You are right. I see what you mean now.”

I thought we had a ZOT coming : )

[One Proud Son]

Pardon my asking, but what's a "ZOT?" Just curious.

[nikos1121]

I'd like to know how much exchange of information and freedo to express oneself goes on between China and Taiwan and between China and the USA.

Things seem to be happening so fast in the world, it makes one wonder of the power of the internet to dessiminate information.

During 9/11 we were not set up to cover this. If a 9/11 happened now, I would go immediately to FR with the TV on perhaps, but I think I could get allot of the news through FR.

What am I saying? Only that there may be forces going on, mainly freedom of expression, that is giving people in these countries hope and an huge helping of liberty.

The Chinese intellectuals can't stand that, neither can the mullahs of Iran.

nick

ps---pardon my lousy spelling

[TC Rider]

On the upside, this may reduce the amount of spam I'm getting.

[Steve Van Doorn]

ZOT was originally used by someone using the ZOT bunny(can’t find the pic right now) but it is a bunny with Viking type horned helmet with bolts of lighting used to kill his victim.

Now it can be anything to basically say, 'bye' to someone that is trolling the site. Yes, I thought by your first post you where trolling.

[CIDKauf]

With 17% of the 1.2 Billion Chinese unemployed, the government is having a hard time keeping all of these people in the military, or on government controlled payrolls. USSR had the same problem, but won't have to give up so easy because they don't spend all their money on bullets and tanks, whcih the Russians found out are "hard to eat".

[ImProudToBeAnAmerican]

This must be why the Chinese spent something like 300 BILLION dollars last year maintaining an advantageous exchange rate against the US dollar - anything to keep as many people employed as possible.

[GSlob]

"At least they have half-good intentions with regard to censorship."
Road to hell is paved with good intentions. And communist countries are hell.

[Just Lori]

The government said in October that it had detained 445 people for operating websites deemed pornographic

"THE GOVERNMENT SAID" Uh huh. What else does the internet allow? Porn is the least of the worries of the GOVERNMENT of CHINA.