huridocs-tech CHN: Regulations on Internet Cafe Promulgated

Edited/Distributed by HURINet - The Human Rights Information Network
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## author     : tllau@hknet.com
## date       : 24.02.99
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   Hong Kong Voice of Democracy
   http://www.democracy.org.hk
   Phone: (852) 9267 6489
   Fax  :    (852) 2791 5801
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Regulations on Internet Cafe Promulgated

The Beijing Public Security Bureau and two other government
departments have jointly promulgated regulations for
Internet cafes, which have become popular haunts of the
citizens in recent years. One of the regulations prohibits
"activities endangering national security" at the cafes.

Human rights observers see the regulations as yet another
government measures to suppress the dissemination of
pro-democracy views on the Internet. The newly promulgated
regulations provide that, 1) the cafe has to registrate and
obtain the approval of the public security bureau in order
to get an official licence; 2) it should not engage in
"activities endangering national security"; 3) it should not
disrupt public security and order; 4) it should not infringe
legal interests of the public; 5) it should not provide
electronic game service to the users; 6) the owner cannot
lease the cafe to others or transfer the ownership; 7) the
owner of the cafe has the responsibility to monitor the
users.

Thanks to the popularization of computers, Internet cafes
have become one of the hottest haunts in the big cities on
the mainland. There are more than 2 million officially
registrated Internet users in China, but industry analysts
estimated the number of real users is much higher than that.
Because of its growing popularity, the Chinese government is
concerned that it can be used as a means to promote
democracy and anti-government views.

Stern measures have been used to control the Internet,
including the censuring of the Bulletin Board Systems, the
blocking of websites considered as pro-democracy, and
setting up of task-force computer units at the public
security bureaux.

The sentencing of Lin Hai, a Shanghai computer software
engineer, to two-year imprisonment for subversion charges
has raised international concern on its impact on the
development of the Internet on mainland China. Madeleine
Albright, U.S. Secretary of State, is expected to discuss
the Lin Hai case with the Chinese government when she visits
China in early March.






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