Getting China's Internet censors to talk does not happen very often, but a
reporter of the
Nanfang Weekend got just that done, here
translated by ESWN. It offers a useful
insight into a voice that is not often heard, that of our Internet nanny, the
censor.
There are some interesting details, as the article notes that
14 different government agencies are
actively involved in the censorship process.
Discussion started last month as the Shenzhen-based operator of the popular
chat service QQ was
forced by
local police to register the names of its more than 5 million anonymous
users. Registration of non-commercial websites and also weblogs is
necessary, says the Ministry of Information Industry, one of the 14
government departments involved:
"While the Internet brings benefits to people, it also brings problems such
as pornography, violence, superstition, and other harmful materials to poison
people's minds. This is especially likely to damage the healthy development
of youngsters."
The reporter gives a fascinating account of his discussion with director
Qiao Zhi of the Monitoring Department of the Shenzhen City Public Security
Bureau Network, the local police department, who started the row with QQ.
Qiao invites his colleagues in as he teaches the reporter about his
motivation:
"It is different from what the outside world understands. We have been
trying to seek a balance between preserving privacy and protecting order and
safety. As far as we are concerned, the Internet is a battleground and the
keyboard is the handgun. We are going where no one has gone before.
"Freedom and security are the problems that the whole world faces -- after
9/11 in the United States, everybody realized that the people and the
government need to find the borderline between freedom and security.
"I believe, when the water is too clean, there is no fish."
