China to Require Users to With SPs Which Are Under PRC Control

At the heart of China's censorship efforts is a delicate balancing act. Unlike communist North Korea, which bans online access to its general population, China is encouraging Internet usage as it rushes to construct a modern economy. This year, the number of Internet users in China surpassed the USA for the first time, hitting 233 million by the end of March. However, China's government does not tolerate opposition and is wary of the variety of views and information the Web brings. New draft regulations say that websites with access to China would have to register their domain names with service providers that are under Chinese control. That requirement appears to be aimed at creating "a white list" of approved domain names and cutting off access to others, said Lokman Tsui, an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who specializes in technology and new media. The most basic tool at the Chinese government's disposal — and, perhaps, the one most easily circumvented by dissidents — is to ban access within China to websites such as Voice of America or to certain stories that contain sensitive words and phrases. For example, several recent USA TODAY stories about Tibet are currently blocked within China.  What does the future hold for Chinese citizen's rights to access information vis-a-via the PRC government stringent control over Internet use? Share your comments with the Cloud and Cyber Security Center:  http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/