Blocked in China

It's been a busy week, both on and off-line, but this one was a bit too remarkworthy to just let pass by....

By government decree, from the first of July, all computers built in or imported to China must pre-install 'Green Dam Youth Escort' internet content filtering software. The software is intended to flter 'harmful websites and harmful information'. This seems laudable enough though you might question making this sort of software mandatory.

Over at the EFF though they are perhaps justifiably suspicious that this is the thin end of the wedge for state censorship in China... now that the software is anyway installed...