China’s authoritarian government has backed away from the Green Dam-Youth Escort program which would require all computers to be pre-loaded with Internet and USENET filtering software on every new computer after a major outcry by Chinese citizens accustomed to the relative freedom of online life. China appeared to cave in to public pressure last week by announcing that computer users are not required to install Internet and USENET filtering software – though it will still come with all PCs sold on the mainland.
One USENET newsgroup reported that a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology official said that use of the software is “not compulsory.” The apparent reversal of the government’s position marked a small victory for a burgeoning anti-censorship movement in China. Internet and USENET users in particular had expressed growing frustration with official efforts to monitor and restrict online content.
The Chinese government’s previous mandate that all personal computers sold in China include Web filtering software had sparked heated debate in the media and on USENET newsgroups across the globe. The software program, which China’s Ministry of Information and Information Technology (MIIT) says is to be used for censoring the internet, was scheduled to be pre-installed in all computers sold in China after July 1.

Many US based computer makers – such as Dell, HP and Apple had been monitoring the situation in order to comply with the demands, although hesitant:
“Dell is aware of the policy and along with the rest of the industry we’re reviewing it and will work with government officials to understand its application,” a Dell spokesperson said and HP: “HP had been working closely with the trade industry association ITI to seek additional information, clarify open questions, and monitor developments on this matter,” a Hewlett-Packard spokesperson said in an e-mail.

The introduction of Green Dam has raised concerns from technology as well as rights newsgroups, ranging from worries about compatibility, intellectual property rights and support for the software to cyber-security and Internet freedoms.
The government late last week condemned the Chinese-language version of Google and several domestic sites as well. Analysts say the Communist Party is fighting to stifle dissent in a year of sensitive anniversaries, including the 20th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. China, which has the world’s largest population of Internet users at more than 298 million, also has one of the world’s tightest controls over the Internet and USENET access.