Chinese Government to tighten control on blogs

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 14 March 2007 03:11

Your IT - Home IT

The Chinese Government is to regulate blogs more tightly, a move foreshadowed over six months ago.
The Peoples Daily quotes Long Xinmin, deputy of the Beijing delegation to the National People's Congress and director of the Administration of Press and Publication saying that at present, the Administration of Press and Publication is working with other departments to formulate regulations for the internet. Once decided, these regulations will help monitor online publishing such as web books and newspapers.

"There is no doubt that blogging was one of the major developments of 2006. The ease of blogging has provided writers and novelists with a platform from which to speak, and for stars and other people to release their news," Long Xinmin said. "This new method of disseminating information has improved people's daily lives and opened up a new channel for interpersonal communication."

In June 2006 China's official Xinhua news agency, reported that supervision of blogs and search engines, which it described as "the most active parts of China information industry," would be tightened by the government. The report quoted Cai Wu, director of the Information Office of the State Council, saying: "As more and more illegal and unhealthy information spreads through the blog and search engine, we will take effective measures to put the BBS, blog and search engine under control.
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According to Xinhua, the Chines Government launched a project in February 2006 "to purify the environment of internet and mobile communication network through a series of measures within a year."