Chinas green dam internet filtering system will go ahead. Chinese governments arguments in promoting the installation of the green damyouth escort software or green dam, henceforth were said to block children from viewing online pornography and other harmful content chao and dean, 2009, p. The circular says the requirement applies to both chinese and foreign companies selling computers in china. Law firm in green dam suit targeted with cyberattack. Solid oak software of the united states alleges that parts of its cybersitter filtering software, including a pornography blacklist, are being used in green dam. We have discovered remotelyexploitable vulnerabilities in green dam, the censorship software reportedly mandated by the chinese government.
The aborted green damyouth escort censorware project in. Heres an expert from todays commerce department press release that. First, involuntary censorship of all adults internet access is a human rights violation. The character is rife with symbolism that is well known in china but which is lost on most foreigners, and it needs further explanation.
Law firm in green dam suit targeted with cyberattack cso. China requires censorship software on new pcs news. It appears to use opensource computer vision software developed by intel called opencv. Green dam filtering software a censorship boondoggle blogger.
Plus, some users in china might not have the knowledge or ability to disable green. Jun 17, 2009 a salesman adjusts computer items at a supermarket in beijing. The green dam software is intended to filter out explicit language and pornographic images, but early user reports indicate that this software might not be as slick as many might have expected. Summary we have discovered remotelyexploitable vulnerabilities in green dam, the censorship software reportedly mandated by the chinese government. On june 30, communist china postponed its requirement that the controversial green dam youth escort censorship software be included with all computers sold in the country as of july 1.
The botnet threat in chinas censorship software cnet. Interestingly, the green dam software is identified as malware by antivirus software from the largest free antivirus company in china. Anger in china over web censorship china has delayed a plan requiring all new computers sold in the country to be equipped with internet filtering software. Exploit code for chinas green dam censorship app permits. Jun 30, 2009 what delayed chinas internet censorship. And for more on green damand how anticensorship groups are working to stop itwe go to matt gnaizda in the studio. Chinas green dam censorship software looks pretty damn lame by rick martin the wall street journal wrote a piece earlier this week entitled china squeezes pc makers where they outlined the chinese governments recent requirement that pc makers to ship their machines with internet filtering software. Beijing steps up internet censorship financial times. Chinas announcement that the green dam software would now be optional could become a parable of the power of the internet. The filtering blacklists include both political and adult content. The program complements the existing internet censorship system, and extends it to many third party applications, such as skype and text editors which are monitored for the use of forbidden phrases such as falun gong.
Green dam filtering software a censorship boondoggle. Programming errors in the beijingmandated green dam filtering software could let bad guys take control of pcs using it. Internet censorship experts around the world are still figuring out exactly what green dam can and cannot do. Chinese government requires censorship software to. Censorship isnt the only problem with chinas new internet. Green dam is using opencv as a way to detect nudity in online images. Law firm in green dam suit targeted with cyberattack cio. Called green dam a reference to slogans that describe a smutfree internet as green the software is designed to filter out sexually explicit images and words, according to the.
Jul 02, 2009 tiny software firm adds to green dam mess. Green dam and the great cavein of china network world. The censorship software, green dam, has been developed with the support of the chinese government, which then announced the mandatory installation program for the alleged purpose of blocking pornography and other harmful content, and to protect underage youth. China intent on requiring internet censor software the new. The character is rife with symbolism that is well known in china but which is lost on most foreigners, and it. The chinese regimes green damyouth escort filtering software has become a censorship boondoggle. Jun 09, 2009 called green dam a reference to slogans that describe a smutfree internet as green the software is designed to filter out sexually explicit images and words, according to the company that. Chinese schools ax green dam censorship software slashdot.
Judging by studies of ccp censorship and blocking technologies open net initiative report green dam analysis, the nine commentaries, are among the publications most feared by the ccp. Jul 01, 2009 censorship software already installed in over 500,000 chinese computers the controversial chinese green dam computer program that censors the internet has already been installed on more than half. From blogs to newspapers to internet sites, there has been a groundswell of criticism with individuals and organizations revealing glitches and weaknesses with the program as well as its more suspicious intent to limit free political discourse. Bbc news technology anger in china over web censorship. All new computers sold in china were then due to be packaged with green dam software but. The chinese regimes green dam youth escort filtering software has become a censorship boondoggle. Jun 24, 2009 green dam is chinas censorship software that, as of july 1st, must be installed in any computer sold in china. Green dam developers have said that users will be able to disable the software, but u. Called green dam a reference to slogans that describe a smutfree internet as green the software is designed to filter out sexually explicit images and words, according to the company that designed it. The chinese government may be backing down from its plan to install new filtering software, green dam, on all chinese computers. Liu jinafpgetty images liu jinafpgetty images melamine in milk, lead in toys, and toxic drywallthese have been recent examples of the shoddy and corrupt production practices that occur in all parts of the chinese economy. Heres an expert from todays commerce department press release that explains our. Ostensibly intended to block unhealthy and vulgar material, green dam in fact would have brought censorship into peoples homes.
Censorship software already installed in over 500,000 chinese. The green dam software has become a major topic of discussion in the blogosphere. The controversy over green dam is just the latest attempt to make computer, software and internet companies complicit in chinas attempts to censor the internet, said ganesan. It filters politically sensitive content, such as information regarding the 1989 crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators in tiananmen square, and has the capacity to suddenly close applications like microsoft. According to press reports, china will soon require all. Jun 23, 2009 green dam is a new chinese state censorship program mandated to be provided with all pcs sold in china after july 1, 2009. Jul 01, 2009 the protesters arrived in tshirts making fun of green dam, and were preparing for a daylong boycott of the internet to protest the censorship software. According to press reports, china will soon require all pcs sold in the country to include green dam.
Jun 19, 2009 the directive makes clear that the government intends to ensure universal use of green dam on new computers in china. Called green dam a reference to slogans that describe a smutfree internet as green the software is designed to filter out sexually explicit images and words, according to the company that. Mandating technically flawed green dam software and denying manufacturers and consumers freedom to select filtering software is an unnecessary and unjustified means to achieve that objective, and poses a serious barrier to trade, kirk said. Backlash mounts against chinas mandated web censorship software. A preliminary study by a team at the university of michigan shows how the software blocks undesirable or politically sensitive content and optionally reports it to authorities. But as news spread of green dams delay, the protest quickly became a victory celebration. The directive makes clear that the government intends to ensure universal use of green dam on new computers in china. So speculation is rampant that the software, dubbed green dam youth escort, will be used for censorship or surveillance if not immediately, then whenever chinas next human rights crisis arises. Jul 02, 2009 chinas controversial plan to install green dam internet filtering software on all computers will go ahead despite being postponement, a government official told state media today the official. Green dam has also come under fire for exposing users to security breaches, with experts warning it could easily be hacked, and a usbased software firm is threatening to sue the chinese. Originally under a directive from the ministry of industry and information technology to take effect on 1 july 2009, it was to be mandatory to have either the software preinstalled, or have the setup files on an accompanying compact disc, for all new personal computers sold in mainland china, including those imported from abroad. China faces piracy suit over censorship software slashdot.
I think that green dam girl has become sufficiently notable to get her own page, or at least her own sub section on another page such as moe anthropomorphism. The program complements the existing internet censorship system, and. China backs down over controversial censorship software. Software that blocks access to pornography can easily be configured to block access to, say, amnesty international. Chinese green dam censorship system exploit, 22 jun 2009. The green dam youth escort software is supposed to censor pornographywhich many consider a laudable goalbut also blocks politically sensitive material and appears to allow monitoring of user. Any web site a green dam user visits can take control of the pc. China requires censorship software on new pcs the new york. All new computers sold in china were then due to be packaged with green dam software but this was delayed as pc makers. Green tsunami gives users options to temporarily disable the monitoring of green dam, or to completely remove it from users computers. The software and its two chinese developers are coming under legal attack by. The green damyouth escort software is supposed to censor pornographywhich many consider a laudable goalbut also blocks politically sensitive material and appears to allow monitoring of user. Aside from censorship, green dam also keeps a record and screen shots of the content browsed by users.
Jun 16, 2009 china backs down over controversial censorship software this article is more than 10 years old green dam, which blocks access to porn and politically sensitive websites, will not be compulsory. The green dam software filters content by blocking urls and web site images and by monitoring text in other applications. The chinese government today revoked a controversial mandate that would have forced all computer manufacturers to equip products sold in. China backs down over controversial censorship software this article is more than 10 years old green dam, which blocks access to porn and politically sensitive websites, will. A salesman adjusts computer items at a supermarket in beijing. The chinese regimes green damyouth escort filtering software has become a. Green dam is chinas censorship software that, as of july 1st, must be installed in any computer sold in china. Green dam youth escort is contentcontrol software for windows developed in the peoples republic of china. Pc makers, civil liberties groups, chinese media and average web users are lashing out against the green dam software, citing everything from freespeech issues to technical problems that. Jun 09, 2009 called green dam a reference to slogans that describe a smutfree internet as green the software is designed to filter out sexually explicit images and words, according to the. Censorship software already installed in over 500,000 chinese computers the controversial chinese green dam computer program that censors the internet has already been installed on more than half.
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