chinese internet users

In a very unexpected move, the Chinese authorities have indefinitely postponed their order that all PCs sold in the country must come with software, called Green Dam Youth Escort, that blocks certain websites.

From July 1st and onwards, all PCs sold in China must be shipped with an internet filtering program called Green Dam.

This application, besides being a possible security risk, is supposed to protect the people of China from online pornography, but it could also be used to monitor their online activities and block other, non-pornographic sites.

Last Tuesday, China took dramatic steps to quiet chatter on the web by blocking Twitter, Flickr, Bing, Hotmail, YouTube, and a wide range of social websites.

This was done in advance of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.