China bans cybercafes for 2007
p2pnet.net news:- “A report by the Beijing reformatory for juvenile delinquents claims that 33.5 percent of its delinquent detainees were goaded into committing crimes, mostly robbery and rape, by violent online games or erotic websites,” says state news agency Xinhua.
Now, China won’t approve the opening of new cybercafes this year, says the story.
There are currently about 113,000.
According to a directive issued by 14 government departments including the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Information Industry, “In 2007, local governments must not sanction the opening of new internet bars,” says the story. “The construction of bars that have received planning approval prior to the issuance of this notice must be completed by June 30, 2007.
“The notice reiterated that Internet bars must not admit anyone under the age of 18. Internet bars that are found to have twice allowed minors on their premises will be forced to close for 15 days and fined. A third offence can lead to their business license being revoked.
“School-owned Internet bars must be directly managed by the school and operated on a not-for-profit basis and cannot be leased to individuals, the notice said.”
Xinhua says China has seen an alarming rise in the number of teenagers, “addicted to Internet cafes and gaming”. The picture shows a Chinese Net addict undergoing electric shock therapy.
No country has gone quite as far as China in mounting a public crusade against Internet addiction, said Associated Press recently, going on:
“To skeptics, the campaign dovetails a bit too nicely with China’s broader effort to control what its citizens can see on the Internet. The Communist government runs a massive program that limits Web access, censors sites and seeks to control online political dissent. Internet companies like Google have come under heavy criticism abroad for going along with China’s demands.”
A report released by the China National Children’s Center claimed that 13 percent of Chinese Internet users under the age of 18 were Internet addicts, says Xinhua.
Also See:
Xinhua – No new Internet bars allowed to open in 2007, March 6, 2007
public crusade – Shocking China ‘Net addict’ cure, February 23, 2007
Associated Press – China treats Internet ââ¬Ëaddictsââ¬â¢ sternly, February 22, 2007
If your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at thIs the end (of the Net) nigh?zze University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, here for the p2pnet download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
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Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local politicians. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance. Don’t just complain. Do something!
