huridocs-tech Beijing Turns The Internet On Its Enemies

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## author     : MYasin@universalcare.com
## date       : 05.08.99
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Beijing Turns The Internet On Its Enemies
Sect Members Abroad Claim State Harassment

By Michael Laris
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, August 4, 1999; Page A01

BEIJING, Aug. 3-The Chinese government, perceiving a
grass-roots challenge to its authority from an outlawed
spiritual sect, is fighting back with the same tool favored
by political dissidents to evade state control: the
Internet.

Members of the Falun Gong sect in the United States, Britain
and Canada have reported recent assaults on their World Wide
Web sites by a variety of electronic methods commonly used
to block or penetrate sites operated by Chinese dissident
groups abroad. The members accuse Chinese security officials
of being behind the harassment.

...

In past years, Chinese Web users have been questioned by
security agents because they received VIP Reference, a
pro-democracy e-mail bulletin that originates in the United
States. Lin Hai, a computer entrepreneur in Shanghai, was
arrested last year for supplying Chinese e-mail addresses to
VIP Reference.

The government's July 22 order banning Falun Gong has
further focused Chinese authorities on the power of the
Internet. Officials noted that Li Hongzhi, the New
York-based founder and leader of the movement, uses it to
communicate with his followers in China, who are estimated
to number more than 10 million. The government responded by
using filtering software to block Chinese Internet users
from visiting Falun Gong sites.




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