Regulation of Web Content

It would not be a surprise to know that China exercises extreme control on online content as it does for offline materials. Regulations on specific areas have been implemented to censor online contents. Instead of imposing regulations on specific industries, Hong Kong government simply based on the principles of existing law to regulate online contents.

China (Gao, 2003)

According to the Ministry of Public Security's Computer Information Network and Internet Securities, Protection, and Management Regulations issued in December 1997, no unit or individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit information that:

• Incites violation of the Constitution or laws, or resistance to the implementation of administrative regulations
• Incites the overthrow of the government or the socialist system
• Incites division of the country, or otherwise harms national unification
• Incites hatred or discrimination among nationalities or otherwise harm the unity of the nationalities
• Makes falsehoods, distorts the truth, spreads rumors, or disrupts social order
• Promote feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence or murder
• Promotes terrorism, encourages criminal activity, openly insults other people, or distorts the truth for purpose of slander
• Injure the reputation of state organs

The State Secrets Bureau under the Ministry of State Security issued the State Secrecy Protection Regulations for Computer Information Systems on the Internet on January 1, 2000 to prohibit the dissemination, storing and processing of state secrets by Internet-connected computer systems. State secrets include all reports not previously disclosed through official news agencies, thus outlawing news collection through the cyber-reporters. In terms of content, the regulations are broadly defined to include not only confidential information about national defense, the economy, foreign affairs, social development and technology. The regulations apply to all content transmitted through the Internet in all forms, including e-mail, e-bulletin boards, chat rooms, and Internet newsgroups.