Posted on 03/03/2005 4:38:06 AM PST by Crackingham
China has closed 47,000 internet cafes in a campaign aimed at creating a more "wholesome environment" for children.
The countrys 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 Peoples 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 worlds 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.
Actually, their intentions are to keep the people from being free.
China has no freedom to speak of in actuality, yet some would have us believe they are more free than us.
They are trying to keep people from getting it in their heads to overthrow the current government in China.
The idea of freedom is contagious, and their government knows this.
Their intentions are not even 'half' good.
Bullpuckey.
Chinse governments's greatest fear: its own population.
They want nothing but the party line on their internet sites; the truth hurts.
If the concern was really pornography, they could require the internet cafes to check indentification and allow those underage to use only computers that had (readily available here) parental-type controls that block porn sites.
It is a parent's perogative to control what their children read and/or surf, not the state's. Time, place and manner restrictions (i.e. not on prime time broadcast, cable only) are fine, censorship is not.
Failure to understand this point makes one an authoritarian. No thanks.
Tell that to Chinese Christians and the Falun Gong movement.
Read post 2.
You're right about some people laying out the propaganda that China is free.
The MSM and globalists like to grind out the spin that the Chinese people are "free" because they have a choice of buying a cell phone from four different manufacturers. That's not freedom; it's market choice. Diners in Nazi Germany, I'm sure, could order their weiner schnitzel baked one of four different ways.
I was amazed how ignorant Chinese students are of their history. I showed them a copy of the Tao Te Ching wrtitten in Chinese. They were amazed by the book. None had seen it before. I don't know if it's true for the Chinese citizen in general, but for this group they had no clue of their history before communism.
Tiannemen(spelling?) Square was by students demanding freedom.
And they were crushed.
All I have to say to get the "China is free" idiots to turn red and scream is mention that incident.
Quite telling actually.
China is pretty much taught that their history matters oly if it relates to communism.
Everything before Mao's 'long march' isn't 'important to know.'
Or it at least appears that way.
Bull. Child porn is censored.
It is a parent's perogative to control what their children read and/or surf, not the state's.
The State should not allow people to push illegal material at children. Parents shouldn't have to raise their kids in a closet just because perverts want unfettered access to children.
This is China we're talking about, where freedom doesn't exist.
See post 2.
The UN was preparing to do exactly this in the 80's.
It was the last straw that made The Gipper pull us out of UNESCO.
are you related to Pegleg McFrog ?
What a broad statement. Hmm...
Tiananmen was organized without the aid of the internet or celluar phones and tens of thousands protested. Just imagine how widespread and organized similar demonstrations could be what's available now? That's what the Chines Politburea fears.
ping
I thought I noticed the Hyjal server in World of Warcraft was a little less crowded. This must be the reason.
Exactly the point.
Chat rooms are restricted over there if I recall correctly.
Methods of organizing are kept under government supervision.
If a group could begin a 'counter-revolution' the repressive government would be out on their keysters.
Std appeall of the stinkin' communists.
Liberals LOVE China, so I wonder if they will also support this censorshop attempt.
"...aimed at creating a more "wholesome environment" for children."
Hog wash
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