China: Journey To The Heart Of Internet Censorship

In partnership with Reporters Without Borders and Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a Chinese Internet expert working in IT industry has produced an exclusive study on the key mechanism of the Chinese official system of online censorship, surveillance and propaganda. The author prefers to remain anonymous.

On the eve of the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which opens this week in Beijing, Reporters Without Borders and the Chinese Human Rights Defenders call on the government to allow the Chinese to exercise their rights to freedom of press, expression and information.

"This system of censorship is unparalleled anywhere in the world and is an insult to the spirit of online freedom," the two organisations said. "With less than a year to go before the Beijing Olympics, there is an urgent need for the government to stop blocking thousands of websites, censoring online news and imprisoning Internet activists."

This report shows how the CCP and the government have deployed colossal human and financial resources to obstruct online free expression. Chinese news websites and blogs have been brought under the editorial control of the propaganda apparatus at both the national and local levels.

The use of the Internet keeps growing in China. The country now has more than 160 million Internet users and at least 1.3 million websites. But the Internet's promise of free expression and information has been nipped in the bud by the Chinese government's online censorship and surveillance system.

"Journey to the Heart of Internet Censorship" explains how this control system functions and identifies its leading actors such the Internet Propaganda Administrative Bureau (an offshoot of the Information Office of the State Council, the executive office of the government), the Bureau of Information and Public Opinion (an offshoot of the party's Publicity Department, the former Propaganda Department) and the Internet Bureau (another Publicity Department offshoot).

The report also documents how the Beijing Internet Information Administrative Bureau has in practice asserted its daily editorial control over the leading news websites based in the nation's Capital. It gives many examples of the actual instructions issued by officials in charge of this bureau.

The last part of the report gives the results of a series of tests conducted with the mechanism of control through filtering keywords. These tests clearly show that, though there are still many disparities in the levels of censorship, the authorities have successfully coerced the online media into submission to censor themselves heavily on sensitive subjects.

This report recommends using proxy servers, exploiting the different levels of censorship between provinces or between levels in the administration and using new Internet technologies (blogs, discussion forums, Internet telephony etc.)

Internet Service To Boost RP-Canada Export Business

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Filipino companies interested to market and export their products to Canada can now avail of the online services of the Trade Facilitation Office of Canada (TFOC).

Ambassador to Canada, Jose S. Brilliantes, said the TFOC’s online services are a web-based mechanism for exporters and potential buyers to do business.

Interested Philippine exporters registering at www.tfoc.ca could upload basic information of its company profile and products, including uploading of photos of products, price list and factory site of vital interest to over 1,000 Canadian importers in TFOC’s database, according to the Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

Basically, the database is designed to connect locally interested exporters with their prospective Canadian in buyers.

With this tool, Philippine export companies are strongly encouraged by Ambassador Brilliantes to take advantage and use this export diagnostic tool provided free by TFOC.

Somehow, for a more realistic trade possibility, Ambassador Brilliantes cautions local companies to have at least one-year exporting experience considering that Canada is a sophisticated market.

The Trade Facilitation Office of Canada is a non-profit corporation with an ongoing mandate to provide trade related technical assistance to developing countries and countries in transaction, the Department of Trade and Industry said. (Mimi Bern-Edaga)

RP Police Seized 200 Computers With Fake Microsoft Software

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Mar) – Police on Wednesday seized some 200 computer sets running on counterfeit Microsoft software in two separate raids in the southern Philippine city of Davao.

Police said members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, headed by Superintendent Noel delos Reyes, raided two Internet shops and confiscated the computers in violation of the anti-piracy laws.

A court in Manila issued the search warrants after Microsoft lodged a complaint about Internet shops here using fake software.

Police said it carried out surveillance and intelligence operation that led to the seizure of the computers. It said the Internet owners would be charged with violation of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

It warned other shops to use only genuine Microsoft products or risk being jailed for fake software. Microsoft’s operating software, like Windows XP costs up to eight thousand pesos, but the counterfeit system sells only for one hundred pesos in many computer shops here. (Romy Bwaga)