BEIJING (AP)China has a new message for computer users: Spam
isn't just annoying, it might well be subversive.
The government has launched a fight against junk e-mail, fearful
that the spam amassing in citizens' inboxes may contain
pornography, anti-communist sentiments or other objectionable
material.
Chinese statistics show that 70 million pieces of spam went to
the nation's e-mail users every day last year, "including many
which were pornographic or reactionary, or promoted gambling or
spread computer viruses," the official Xinhua News Agency said,
citing the China Police Daily.
By "reactionary," authorities typically mean expression that
is anti-government and therefore illegal. Pornography, even
soft-core, is outlawed in China, as is most gambling.
The ministries of public security, education and information
will work together to combat junk e-mail, the report said. They
want more than 90 percent of China's e-mail servers to take
measures against spam by the end of June.
China has nearly 80 million Internet users among its 1.3 billion
population, according to the China Internet Network Information
Center. The government encourages the Internet for business use but
keeps a tight rein on political content.
Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in eWEEK.