China defends 'healthy development' of spyware

Continuing its pattern of Orwell-speak, China defended its directive that all PCs sold in the country include Green Dam Youth Escort, which appears to be a straight-forward porn filter developed by Jinhui Computer System Engineering. From a BBC report:

The purpose of this is to effectively manage harmful material for the public and prevent it from being spread," Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said. "The Chinese government pushes forward the healthy development of the internet. But it lawfully manages the internet," he added.

Jinhui joined in the protestations, the company's general manager telling state-owned Global Times:

"It's a sheer commercial activity, having nothing to do with the government."

But, according to the Times:

The software developers have ties to China’s military and public security agencies, they point out, and Green Dam’s backers say the effort is supported by Li Changchun, the country’s chief propaganda official and a member of the decision-making body of the Communist Party, the Politburo Standing Committee.

In any case, why bother if the Great Firewall of China is all it's cracked up to be? Answer: The software is not just a porn filter but apparently neutralizes sites that can get around the GFC.

Tom Foremski says China is going about this all wrong.

Our PCs in the US don't need to be pre-loaded with spyware -- within minutes of being connected to the Internet there is a ton of spyware that gets transparently loaded. Why tip off the dissenters and pornographers . . . and those that like to consume those subjects? You could collect lots of information on both sides of the transaction.