Dharamsala, June 10 – China has issued a government directive to have preinstalled filtering software in computers that are sold in China.
Domestic computer manufacturers and manufacturers that export computers to China have been asked to have filtering software – “Green Dam Youth Escort” preinstalled in computers.
The directive, titled “Notification Regarding Requirements for Pre-Installing Green Filtering Software on Computers,” was issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on May 19, 2009, and was made available on the software provider’s website, http://www.lssw365.net/index.php/Content/index/pid/1/sort/11/id/513, on June 8, 2009.
The software was jointly developed by the Beijing Dazheng Human Language Technology Academy Company and the Jinhui Computer System Engineering Company. Under the MIIT’s leadership, the two companies established a working group called Green Online Filtering Software Project Working Team in July 2008.
June 1, 2009, there have been 2,170,000 installations of the software in about 80 percent of all elementary and high schools in China, according to Human Rights in China.
China has tightened its control over internet in the wake of some politically sensitive anniversaries this year. Many websites and blogs were shut down or blocked for visitors in China and Tibet.
