China Begins Monitoring Billions of Text Messages

eldavojohn writes "The Telegraph is reporting that China has begun monitoring 'billions of text messages' in order to increase censorship. However, a People's Daily article claims they only monitor users who have been reported, and only shut down their message service if the complaints are true. Anything considered pornographic will require the user to bring a letter of guarantee to the local public security bureau promising to never again send such messages before service can be reactivated."

Comments

Evil.

[headkase]

Ok, exactly how Evil is the Chinese government? I'm all for trade with them because it keeps our relationship stable so we don't actually start killing each other but my opinion of their government style is that it has to go. Their government is Evil from my value system and I would love to see the Chinese people do something about that. Hell, I would even provide material support electronically but I wouldn't go there.

Self censorship and conservative thought

[Colin Smith]

Cutting naughty or unacceptable words out of daily conversation is their endgame.

Look. What they are doing is persuading people to censor themselves, and to think conservatively. The endgame is behaviour modification.

You don't actually have to read every message. You simply tell people that everything they write or say is monitored.

It's literally FUD.