China ignores Green Dam censor-ware demands
p2pnet news view | P2P | Politics:- Reports that China, one of the last of the repressive Communist regimes, has caved in to demands from around the world that it drop its Green Dam Youth Escort censor-ware are incorrect, say Chinese media.
As of yesterday, every PC sold in China was to have been shipped with built-in Green Dam Youth Escort censoring technology designed to work with Microsoft Windows. When that didn’t happen, western media assumed it was because Chinese authorities had listened to requests to not implement the software.
“Beijing’s decision this week to delay the requirement that the filtering software … by pre-installed or supplied on disk with all computers sold in China averted a possible trade clash with the United States and Europe,” says the Associated Press.
“But the move by some makers to include the software anyway could reignite complaints by Chinese Web users,” it says.
Nevertheless, despite a “last-minute delay,” China’s authorities and its PC manufacturers said yesterday they expect the tool will end up on new computers,” says China Daily, continuing, “One day after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) declared a postponement to the July 1 start date for the mandatory inclusion of ‘Green Dam-Youth Escort’ porn filtering software, an MIIT official said it was only ‘a matter of time’ before the directive took effect.”
China will, “definitely carry on the directive on Green Dam,” the story quotes an anonymous spokesman as saying. “It’s just a matter of time.”
‘Not responsible for damage’
Meanwhile, experts warned of serious security flaws. And Jinhui Computer System Engineering Inc, the Chinese company responsible for developing Green Dam, was acccused of copyright piracy by Solid Oak Software, the maker of CyberSitter a filtering app.
“Brian Milburn, president of the privately owned, Santa Barbara-based company, said it was studying its legal options but would seek an injunction against further shipment to China of computers using the suspected pirated software,” said Reuters.
Jinhui , “denied stealing anything,” said the story,.
However, while critics continue to attack China for insisting the censor software be included, Chinese PC companies, “including Lenovo Group, Tsinghua Tongfang, Founder Technology Group and Haier Group,” will nonetheless, “install the filter as they were told,” says China Daily, adding:
“But some manufacturers have included a disclaimer with new PCs, saying they would not be responsible for damage caused by Green Dam.”
Robert Rains, assistant information officer at the US embassy in Beijing, said the US authorities were “looking forward to engaging in further dialogues with the related Chinese authorities on this matter,” it adds.
Even if Chinese makers follow orders, Wikileaks posted a counter-ware which uses a buffer-overflow via Microsoft’s “.net” encoding.
A ZIP file provides a web page and associated computer code, “that can be used to remotely take control of any computer system running the Green Dam software,” it says.
Downloads: fast site, current site, Sweden, US, Latvia, Slovakia, UK, Finland, Netherlands, Poland, Tonga, Europe, SSL, Tor.
censor-ware – Green Dam of China censor software, June 8, 2009
Associated Press – PC makers voluntarily supply Web filter in China, July 2, 2009
China Daily – Plug not pulled on software, July 2, 2009
serious security flaws – Green Dam Youth Escort hacked, June 23, 2009
copyright piracy – China Green Dam company accused of piracy, June 15, 2009
Reuters – U.S. company accuses China of stealing software, June 13, 2009
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