Software
The software raises “questions of security, privacy, system reliability, the free flow of information, and user choice,” according to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News. The group, which includes the American Chamber of Commerce in China and the Business Software Alliance, sent the letter to Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong yesterday.
China has been criticized by industry group, academics and opponents of censorship for its May 19 directive requiring the inclusion of the “Green Dam-Youth Escort” program from the beginning of July. The Chinese government has asked the softwares developers to offer upgrades to improve its safety, the state-backed China Daily newspaper reported on June 15.
“Its a very good thing the industry is standing up and pushing back,” said Rebecca MacKinnon, an assistant professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Hong Kong. “Its a statement that not only the general public, but the industry in general, is concerned about Green Dam.”
Wang Lijian, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said he couldnt immediately comment when reached on his mobile phone today.
Urged to Reconsider
“We urge the Chinese government to reconsider implementing the requirements in MIITs May 19 notice and propose that we engage in meaningful dialogue on the topic of parental controls,” the letter said. The directive “seems to run contrary to Chinas own goal of becoming a leading IT and information-based society.”
Computers loaded with the software are prevented from accessing Web sites about the 1989 Tiananmen Square military crackdown and the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong, Isaac Mao, a fellow at Harvard Universitys Berkman Center for Internet & Society, said last week.
The software is a “substandard product” developed by companies with little experience in such software, according to a June 12 report by OpenNet Initiative. It will increase government control of Internet use in China, said the group, which includes researchers at the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and University of Toronto.
Pornography-Blocking Software
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier about the sending of the letter to Chinas government.
Bryan Chang, chief executive officer of Jinhui Computer System Engineering Corp., which co-developed the software, couldnt immediately be reached on his mobile phone today for comment. Green Dam blocks only pornography, he said on June 11.