Party: Beijing Residents Celebrate Green Dam Win

By Jane McEntegart
published

Yesterday China announced a delay in the roll out of Green Dam software set to be rolled on Wednesday, July 1 and the residents of Beijing could not be happier.

Originally supposed to be a boycott party in protest of the mandatory Green Dam software the Chinese government announced it would ship on every computer sold in mainland China after July 1, the gathering later turned into a celebration upon hearing news that the deadline had been pushed back.

Reuters reports that Chinese web users flooded to an art zone cafe on Wednesday to celebrate the delay with a traditional Chinese breakfast and to plan an all day party. However, despite the happy atmosphere, Reuters cites party-goers who were nervous about attending an event "that was a direct, if light-hearted, rebuke to a government wary of public challenges to its control."

"I am a little bit nervous, but I felt it was very important that I find the strength to come," said painter Zang Yi according to Reuters.

China yesterday announced that it was delaying the Green Dam roll out and while it’s being branded a victory for the people of China, claims the delay is because some PC makers were having difficulty meeting the deadline. In other words, the Green Dam plan isn’t dead yet.

Do you think China would ever drop the Green Dam idea completely because of backlash from internet users?

Jane McEntegart
16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bk420
    Population Control Software......communism at its "best"....
    Reply
  • SAL-e
    bk420Population Control Software......communism at its "best"....And what is Warrantless Wiretapping in USA? http://www.eff.org/issues/nsa-spying
    Secret Trade agreement that include provision that custom will search your laptop and MP3 player when you travel: http://www.eff.org/issues/acta
    I think before we start lecture China we need to take care about home problems first.
    Reply
  • tommysch
    Like that crapware isnt going to be relatively easy to crack/remove... The Chinese dont know how to engineer stuff anyway, they just copy any cheap american software they happen to their hands on.
    Reply
  • brendano257
    SAL-eAnd what is Warrantless Wiretapping in USA? http://www.eff.org/issues/nsa-spyingSecret Trade agreement that include provision that custom will search your laptop and MP3 player when you travel: http://www.eff.org/issues/actaI think before we start lecture China we need to take care about home problems first.
    The point is, our government taps our phones and whatnot, why? To fight terrorism and threats to the country. Why does China do it? To stop the citizens from learning about freedom or speech, and human rights. There is a difference, now unless you have something to hide, don't worry about it. The US can listen in on my phone calls but what will they get? Nothing that will ever help them find terrorists, or convict me, that's all I know.
    Reply
  • SAL-e
    brendano257The point is, our government taps our phones and whatnot, why? To fight terrorism and threats to the country. Why does China do it? To stop the citizens from learning about freedom or speech, and human rights. There is a difference, now unless you have something to hide, don't worry about it. The US can listen in on my phone calls but what will they get? Nothing that will ever help them find terrorists, or convict me, that's all I know.There is no difference. If you read Chinese official documents about Green Dam is all about protecting user from the bad things like child pornography and etc, but you know better that it could be and will be used to enforce their political agenda.
    What I don't understand why we are forgetting how US government and FBI was acting just 20-30 years ago. Yes they can listen the phone call of suspected terrorist, but not everyone's phone calls. If the have information go get a warrant and do it legally. US government has already abused that power in order to silent political opponents. Unless you are planning to live like slave you should wake up and stand for your privacy and rights as they are defined by the Constitution.
    http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/04/eff-issues-report-abuse-national-security-letter
    Reply
  • Pei-chen
    Good for these artists; the most useless portion of the population.
    Reply
  • tpi2007
    SAL-eThere is no difference. If you read Chinese official documents about Green Dam is all about protecting user from the bad things like child pornography and etc, but you know better that it could be and will be used to enforce their political agenda. What I don't understand why we are forgetting how US government and FBI was acting just 20-30 years ago. Yes they can listen the phone call of suspected terrorist, but not everyone's phone calls. If the have information go get a warrant and do it legally. US government has already abused that power in order to silent political opponents. Unless you are planning to live like slave you should wake up and stand for your privacy and rights as they are defined by the Constitution.http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/ ity-letter

    Yes there is a difference. In China police would be knocking on your door to take you away for what you've just written. It's a matter of how far government interference with your rights goes, right now, at present. That is what we are discussing.
    Reply
  • researchthis
    SAL-eAnd what is Warrantless Wiretapping in USA? http://www.eff.org/issues/nsa-spyingSecret Trade agreement that include provision that custom will search your laptop and MP3 player when you travel: http://www.eff.org/issues/actaI think before we start lecture China we need to take care about home problems first.
    Oh boy, here comes the moral equivalence argument again. Yup, the US is JUST LIKE China. No difference whatsoever. *sigh*. Must we point the finger back at the US every single time an issue like this comes up? The only people you are helping are the communists by deflecting the attention away from the BIGGER problem. I'm sure the Chinese really appreciate your efforts here.

    US government has already abused that power in order to silent political opponents.

    Yup, and they were caught. There is nothing to "catch" in China because there are no checks, balances, laws, procedures to limit this. In the US, you can be sure that any abuse of this new wiretapping will be brought to the world's attention eventually if not immediately. It is a tool of war. It is not inherently evil, just as a rifle is not inherently evil. We are not crippling ourselves by banning our soldiers from using rifles now are we? Why should we do so with this?

    Reply
  • hemelskonijn
    The greendam software was supposed to be distributed with every computer sold there is no law stating you have to use it and there is no obligation to any manufacture or retail store to pre-install the software.
    They only had to make sure any one who wanted to run it could run it.

    In a way this would not be to bad in a world driven on violence and porn this software might be the fabric softner for the internet.
    Lines are fading and as long as there is no law stating you have to use it i think its no better or worse the buying any OEM system here since they are loaded with crap any way.
    Reply
  • SAL-e
    researchthisOh boy, here comes the moral equivalence argument again. Yup, the US is JUST LIKE China. No difference whatsoever. *sigh*. Must we point the finger back at the US every single time an issue like this comes up? The only people you are helping are the communists by deflecting the attention away from the BIGGER problem. I'm sure the Chinese really appreciate your efforts here.Have you ever faced a fully armed police backed with water cannons? From your comment I have the fuzzy feeling that you have seen them only on TV.

    researchthisYup, and they were caught. There is nothing to "catch" in China because there are no checks, balances, laws, procedures to limit this. In the US, you can be sure that any abuse of this new wiretapping will be brought to the world's attention eventually if not immediately. It is a tool of war. It is not inherently evil, just as a rifle is not inherently evil. We are not crippling ourselves by banning our soldiers from using rifles now are we? Why should we do so with this?They get caught this time. What was their response. They wanted to remove the "checks" and shift the "balance". That is exactly my point the check and the balance is executed during the process of obtaining the warrant. If the FBI and NSA are allowed to wiretap you without warrant very soon we are going to find our self in same position.
    I don't defend Chinese government at all. On the other hand some of the Chinese people have proved that they value their freedom. Remember in 1990 how a single man stood a frond the tank and stopped it. We should learn something from him.
    Reply