Slashdot Mirror
China Makes Arrests To Stop Internet Porn
thefickler writes "The Chinese Government is expanding a crackdown on Internet pornography. Xinhua news agency, which is owned by the government and can safely be used for reporting in China, says the campaign to scrub the country's Internet of 'vulgar' content has so far resulted in 29 criminal cases. Police have ordered the removal of 46,000 pornographic and other 'harmful' items from websites. The latest crackdown comes after official warnings of rising social unrest as the economy slows. It's no coincidence that this year is the twentieth anniversary of Tiananmen Square, or, to use the acceptable nomenclature, 'the June 4th incident.'"
2009 will be a major anniversary for the 1959 Tibetan Uprising (which lead to tens of thousands of Tibetans fleeing their homeland), the 1979 Democracy Wall, the 1988/1989 Tibetan Uprising and the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre.
With the economy not growing fast enough to creat new jobs and millions of labourers being sent packing to their poor home provinces (often without pay), there are bound to be even more local "incidents" against the regime than the estimated 87,000 in 2007.
By targeting "internet porn" the Chinese dictatorship can flex their "penal muscle" and increase their leverage over various service providers (that is, play by our rules or you'll hang over porn which is impossible to totally weed out anyway).
Should invading one's peaceful neighbours be opposed, or rewarded with trade deals?
Yeah, China has done very well. For instance, just contrast China with Taiwan and Hong Kong. Oh wait.....
It's too bad that once you're pregnant, you have to have the kid(s). If someone could find a way around that problem lots of issues would be solved (including all those birth control hormones that end up in the water supply).