Chinese Portals Pledge More Self-Policing 125
An anonymous reader writes "A slew of Chinese web portals have pledged to self-police even more, after signing on to a Beijing plan to 'clean up the internet'. Google and MSN have not joined the group." From the article: "The firms' pledge states that the Internet has become an important source of information and entertainment in China, now the world's second-biggest market with more than 100 million Web surfers. 'At the same time as the Web develops quickly, certain sites are transmitting unhealthy news ... and uncivilized voice services, including pornographic content that can be harmful to society,' said the pledge, which was dated earlier this month in a posting on Sina's Web site."
Are you sure it's China? (Score:4, Insightful)
Sounds more like something Alberto Gonzales and the Bush White House would say.
The sad part is, while I'm writing this "tongue-in-cheek", if it were to be a headline in tomorrow's paper, nobody would be surprised.
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:2)
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:2)
(http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/20/grannies.peace
(http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/21/hu.heckle
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:1)
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:2)
I jump over the junk and thrash by utilizing a good search engine, while the chinese method no doubt involves removal of the junk altogether, and our definition of "junk" may differ widely.
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:1)
Teach Joe Six Pack (Score:2)
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:1, Troll)
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:2)
-K
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:2)
Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:5, Insightful)
Despite your tongue in cheek escape valve, the tone of your post apologizes for human rights abuses in China because you see some abuses in America. Does this mean that in tomhudson's world that two wrongs really do make a right?
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:2, Informative)
the tone of your post apologizes for human rights abuses in China because you see some abuses in America
No... he's highlighting a parallel between a communist regime and the rightist Bush administration.
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:1)
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:2)
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:1)
Sorry, but I have a very hard time seeing that agenda coming out of any of the Democrats I follow. Not that I think the Republicans are any better, but you can't really call either the lesser of two evils.
How to tell when people are spouting bullshit, #1:
They post as AC.
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:5, Insightful)
One country is making progress, but not as fast as some would like. The other is turning back the clock. Pointing out that a story of the US making such a statement would be believable in NO way condones wrongs by either side.
Besides, I think BadAnalogyGuy [slashdot.org] has prior art on your posting style :-)
Now, if I had wanted to do some serious trolling, I would have pointed out that most western countries, with the notable exception of the US, consider state-provided basic health care a universal human right. Funny how China shares this value, but in the US, "no money, no candy-striper."
Medical problems are the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in the US, when both direct http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/ hlthaff.w5.63/DC1 [healthaffairs.org] and indirect effects are factored in. And its not people who are without coverage - " 75.7 percent had insurance at the onset of illness". - think of that - more than 3/4 of those who went bankrupt because of medical bills had insurance.
What a scam.
Talk about preying on the sick and the weak - look at your local politician, and how much they're beholden to the HMOs rather than to the voters.
So, does the person who has to go bankrupt because of medical bills get to enjoy any of the benefits of capitalism, like accumulation of private property and wealth? Nope - the trustee gets to hand over everything to the creditors, with a few basic exemptions, and even this isn't enough to keep many people off the streets or bunking at a relatives.
Some simple math - " 1.9-2.2 million Americans (filers plus dependents) experienced medical bankruptcy". Multiply this by an average life expectancy of 72 years, and you've got 144 million people who will affected by a medical bankruptcy over the course of their lifetime.
That's half your population who would be better off under a "communist, socialist" system that other countries, such as that "notorious socialist communist pinko terr'rist havens" (such as Canada) have. Talk about a class structure with haves and have-nots!
Food for thought: http://www.bankruptcycanada.com/blog/canadian-and- us-bankruptcy-rates/ [bankruptcycanada.com]
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:1)
As for being stuck with President Bush, Americans are free to impeach him at any time. The fact is t
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:2)
This is true. But what would a successful impeachment bring? Dick Cheney as president. Not a pretty picture, either.
The saddest part of all this is that if anyone had written even half of what the White House does as a plot line a decade ago, it would have been rejected as way too far beyond belief to even be considered as satire or parody, ne
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:1)
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:1)
Don't believe the hype about being a "communist" country, long ago has china abandoned universal healthcare, the situation currently is that the vast majority of chinese are self medicating, the only doctors that most of the population can afford to see are the salespeople who work at the counters of the pharmacies.
China has probably the highest percentage of self-medicated patients in the world.
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:2)
Which is not just irrelevant but also stupid. Rights are things one must be allowed to do because they don't hurt others: one has a right to speak, to worship as one chooses, to ingest whatever substances one enjoys, to associate with whomever one pleases, in public or in private. One doesn't have a
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:2)
You're confusing the right to basic health care services with "pharmacare" plans - state-run prescripton drug plans.
Now if you were trying to argue that nobody has the right to tax you to pay for someone else's health care plan, I'd make the argument of enlightened self-interest;
Re:Concern for human rights is not a team sport (Score:2)
single-payer plans are cheaper to run, so overall health costs go down - that includes YOUR health costs
Hardly. Lots of people who aren't insured at all will become more insured, which will greatly increase costs. The increase in insurance without any associated personal cost or competition will increase the consumption of services, often wastefully. More people are likely to go to the doctor in Canada than in the US.
costs in other parts of the system go down, as people aren't fo
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:1)
Sir, you are clearly blinded by hatred.
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:2, Insightful)
Hatred? Of who? I've dealt with both Americans and Mainland Chinese, and I've gotten along great with both. Can you say the same?
I'm not looking at it in absolute terms, but in overall trends. China has moved to a more market-demand-oriented economy and has started to allow foreign investment and joint partnerships. From a westerner's point of view, these are "good things." Contrast this with the inc
Blocking Political Correctness but Not Spam (Score:2)
Re:Are you sure it's China? (Score:2)
Maybe we could include it in a copy of "My Pet Goat 2: Goat Reloaded" or something.
Or, now that there are rumours of at least one of his old habits haunting him again, lay the newspaper along the white line down the middle of the street ("never met a white line he didn't like") or in the same brown paper bag as the bottle of Jack, to get his attention?
Seriously, I don't know how you're all going to survive the next 2-1/2 years.
Sick! (Score:1)
If true, that is disgusting (although I don't see how censorship is going to solve the problem).
More details at snopes [snopes.com]
Re:Sick! (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually, it's that kind of thing that has to be reported and made available. It's like trying to hide under the covers -- sure, you don't see any bad things, but you don't see any good things either. More importantly, you don't get to choose
Re:Sick! (Score:1)
Your so called absolutes are anything but, and even if they were, several are potentially contradictory, and would be prioritised differently in different cultures/situations, rendering them nonsensical.
Re:Sick! (Score:2)
It's culture that is to blame for these things being contradictory and nonsensical. I think killing is repugnant; I believe most people would agree that taking another person's life is wrong. Of course then the problem becomes, if someone kills someone, what do we do? Do we kill them, in contravention of o
Re:Sick! (Score:1)
Compare and contrast with Islamic cultures, where a thief's hand is cut off for stealing.
Re:Sick! (Score:2)
Re:Sick! Mostly OT (Score:1)
Now on more general note:
Chinese society is quite stable and as far as I know the dissidents are minority. And by dissidents I mean people who are ready to do at least little sacrifies in fight for their convictions, not people who grumble about politics to their wives in their kitchens
Same situation, as probably not so many of
Re:Sick! (Score:2)
Whether the news reports it and people read it or not, crap like this will happen anyway. Would rape stop if the news stopped reporting it? Hell no. We would be ignorant from the truth. Stomping a cat to death is despicable, immoral (by my standards), and most importantly, illegal anywhere I know of.
What if this happened in the USA? That woman would stand trial for animal cruelty and probably go to jail. Certainly not for as long as murder, maybe only a few months, but she would see justice. The video woul
Re:Sick! (Score:2)
Open up a copy in GIMP and take a close look. Everything up to picture 8 is posed in such a way as to make it look like something's happening (a la the bonzai kittens) but there's no harm whatsoever.
Picture 8 is an obvious fake.
Pictures 9 and 10 (which are the same picture), and picture 11, are inconsistent with picture 8, as well as the previous set of pictures. Picture 11 is such a bad cut/paste job tha
Re:Sick! (Score:1)
Re:Sick! (Score:2)
Someone was kind enough to forward a copy of the video to me, and its almost 100% certain its a fake. A VERY GOOD (or VERY BAD) fake, but a fake. There wre at least two kittens used. The kitten in the opening sequence is already dead, the head doesn't match up to the body in the sequence where they animate the front paws using a mask and shots from a second cat, there are two "mis-steps" where the kitten supposedly meows in pain even though the heel missed all body parts, and if you take the time to look y
Re:Sick! (Score:2)
Re:Sick! (Score:2)
Q.How was the chili today?
A. I'd give it one thumb up - the same it gave me.
I lived next to a rep from mainland China for a year. Quiet guy, friendly enough. He was here to sell industrial gloves, etc. I've dealt with other people there, and the one thing that has struck me the most is their earnestnest. Something we seem to have less and less of here.
American Portals Pledge More Self Policing (Score:1, Insightful)
Between forced abortions, organ harvesting of Falun Gong members, and poisoning sitting presidents at large banquets, China has shown its true colors time after time. I guess if China keeps funding our government, we have no choice but to look the other way.
A bit sad really.
Re:American Portals Pledge More Self Policing (Score:2)
Here's the thing - all governments have their dirty little secrets. Like, when are we going to be allowed to see ALL the evidence as to who killed John Kennedy?
Every elected president has had the power to release everything. Not one has. Why not?
Its been more than 40 years ... why not put the conspiracy theorists to pasture by opening up all the evidence? Or is the truth as bad as, or worse than, the theories?
Information is neutral - it doesn't "want to be free". Its what we do with it that counts. C
Re:China Bashing (Score:3, Insightful)
I personally don't hate China. You can't hate a nation (never mind what people said about the USSR during the 50's and 60's); each nation is made up of diverse groups and not all citizens of a nation think alike. Nowhere is that truer than here in the United States.
What I hate is the Chinese government clinging to outmoded ideals and forms of control that in the end create hardship and ruin for the great bulk of the Chinese people. They treat most of
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
Although, we're not so prejudiced as to just hate China. We hate America too. And Europe. And you.
The list of things we like is short: Google, Open Source, talking about complicated things, and CowboyNeal.
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
I think the key here is to separate Chinese citizens from the Chinese government. While the citizens and ex-citizens that I have met have been nothing less than friendly, intelligent, and generally good people, their government is corrupt to the bone and doesn't really care about their people.
The alleged actions the GP poster mentioned all are the responsibility of the government.
Re:China Bashing (Score:1)
Re:China Bashing (Score:1)
I've been seeing this recently. Whenever there's an article about Internet censorship in China -- a subject that's far more relevant to the topic of 'YRO' than are most of the articles we get -- people start to get defensive. And then, I get confused.
When the conservative party in Australia started trying to block content, Slashdot's reaction was "ah, too bad, Australians are getting screwed over by their dirty politicians again." When we talk about the activities of the RIAA or the MPAA in the U.S., w
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
It is mostly status quo, and sometimes expanding, if you ask me.
That people rather attack the Bush administration is because that is s
Re:China Bashing (Score:1)
In China, the government may set policy, or some government organs may set policy, but what is implimented, how it is implemented or wehter it is implimented at all is decided on a lower level or levels.
This can be good or bad depending on the situation, but it does not a horrible autocratic dictatorship make.
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
Try that in the US, and you may be sent to jail for fifteen years, stripped of your political rights (no more voting for Gore!), and also stripped of all your property.
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
In any case, while I think charging/paying for sex ought to be left to the two people involved, if I were to list rights in oreder of importance, the right to "fuck a whore" would not exactly be on top. In fact, I think the top would be the right t
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
And let's not forget that those rights have existed for just a brief time for all citizens in the US. Rosa Parks, anyone? I heard she was just pardoned (!) for her crime to sit at a seat reserved for the White man...
And by
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
In the US, as far as I am aware, in living memory, peaceful protesters have been arested quite a few times, shot once, and never literally run over by tanks.
The Newark Riots were quite a tragedy, though I don't think they qualify as criticising and trying to change the government by peaceful means.
Now, the Kent State massacre is a bit more on point. People peacefully criticising the government were shot and killed. It was a terrible thing. But here's a couple things that strike me about it:
- While the go
Let's Be Clear... (Score:1)
China is slowly becoming the new hegemonic power in the world, and while the US Government is a despicable sellout to corporate interests, at least it believes in relative freedom and democracy (if you discount the whole Patriot Act thing). But as China become
Re:China Bashing (Score:2)
Re:Prooof (Score:2)
The facts of the matter are that:
Some of the organs China uses for transplantation, and yes, selling, come from executed criminals.
China claims that the criminals gave their consent. However, they have offered little evidence for this. (There is no evidence to the contrary, however.)
So
"Unhealthy news" (Score:2)
Now if only the Chinese Goverment would pledge... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Now if only the Chinese Goverment would pledge. (Score:2)
Political prisoners? How about Gitmo? Those prisoners are prisoners of war, but not treated as prisoners of war, being denied their right to an attorney. Or in Abi Grail, the sheer torture has made the world shocked over how brutal the Americans are. They came to Iraq to liberate the people from Saddam's torture, only to
Aliens Are Crazy, But Demons Just Make Sense (Score:3, Insightful)
Hell, even your average and boring vanilla Christian sounds crazy if you were not raised to accept their views as normal. Their religion is built around a Jewish cult leader who they are utterly convinced was killed, was raised from the dead, ascended to a mag
Re:"FLG is pretty damn peaceful" ? (Score:2)
He said in the book that everyone's life is in danger and aliens are taking over. Your only way out is to join FLG.
He said in the book that everyone's life is in danger and demons are taking over. Your only way out is to give yourself to Christ.
Wow. A religion promising salvation and making money off of it? Holy shit! This is a revelation (ha ha, get it revelation)! Maybe the Catholics could try th
Wait, wait, wait, wait!!! (Score:2)
Re:Wait, wait, wait, wait!!! (Score:1)
Re:Wait, wait, wait, wait!!! (Score:2)
Clean the internet? We already did (Score:2, Funny)
Slashdot should be filtered out too (Score:1)
Warning Labels (Score:1)
Hollywood and the US comics industry (Score:5, Interesting)
Movies abided by rules such as: No prolonged kissing - never show even a married couple in the same bed - no revenge plots (the hero just happened to kill his enemies in self defence while pursuing nobler goals) etc. ad nauseam. The excision of politics was just an unwritten rule, but followed particularly religiously until the 60s.
The Comics Code was even more rigorous. It killed comics as a form of entertainment for adults up until the 1990s. Horror comics, erotic comics, realistic violence etc. ceased to exist. Nothing but spandex pap was left in its wake. And if you say now that you're a grown-up who reads Marvel comics, tell me: Just how grown-up do you feel while you're doing it? I feel about 12 years old when I dive into X-Men.
Re:Hollywood and the US comics industry (Score:2)
Re:Hollywood and the US comics industry (Score:2)
And Crisis was pretty hardcore, too.
Re:Hollywood and the US comics industry (Score:2)
Re:Hollywood and the US comics industry (Score:2)
Umm, I don't think so [heavymetal.com]...
Re:Hollywood and the US comics industry (Score:2)
Heavy Metal was and is the English language offshoot of the French Metal Hurlante magazine and thus liberally ignored the Comics Code - as did the underground comix of the late 60s. Exceptions with more limited distribution that prove the rule.
Yahoo is a government bitch (Score:2, Insightful)
Hitler (Oh No! Godwin's Law) (Score:1, Insightful)
this has to stop (Score:1)
nothing happend in tienamen square, you have no proof! the chinese government doesn't lie! also nothing happend in tibet, its a lie too, you are all full of shit, please stop posting that somthing did happen. there is lots of pornographic content out there, i can get to every site and it offends me, when i login with my username bighairycunt i dont want to see naked people doing sick thing
self-policing (Score:3, Interesting)
Oh well... (Score:2)
Then again hearing Bush go on the attack against the press makes you wonder if it isn't merely a little more obvious in the case of China. I'm sure I'm not 100% right about this, but I can't remember a single newspaper officially taking the position that invading Iraq was wrong back in 2002/2003, not even the New York Times.
reduce potential government intervention.... (Score:1)
Re:reduce potential government intervention.... (Score:2)
I love it when governments let policy be decided on things that could potentially turn out to be hoaxes and urban legends. Frankly it really sounds like an excuse for the so-called "Communist" party to crack down on people saying things that party mandarins don't want to hear, or don't want others to read.
Re:reduce potential government intervention.... (Score:1)
Crush China, and Have a Nice Day (Score:1)
The solution to the problem of Chinese censorship on the Internet is simple enough -- we just make the internet flee China completely. How? [insert evil grin here]
Imagine a botnet, sending out rapid-fire cease-and-desist notices to every site operating in China, informing site owners of out-of-compliace content. Companies will struggle to remove content from the web fast enough to keep up with the vaguely threatening notices. That's the second edge of self-censorship, turned against the people wielding it
I wish "free world" media do more self-policing (Score:1)
Complete freedom is an easy way to financial success. Once the value of morality relative to value of wealth and other worldy things will start to grow, more and more businessmen will choose self-policing, God willing.
Re:I wish "free world" media do more self-policing (Score:1)
Re:I wish "free world" media do more self-policing (Score:1)
I agree that this is a serious danger, especially with current administration.
But I do not agree (not necessarily with the parent post, because I do not know his/her views on that matter) that we should rely on government or institutions that the government can easily take control of to ensure our rights to free decent speech.
I think every young American should learn from the cradle that he has a right to take arms and fight his own government if g
The day in the life of a government censor... (Score:1)
Government Agent 2: *responds* What did you find?
Government Agent 1: *grinning* A website full of 'bad content' such as documents about the UN bill of rights, contraceptives, atheism, capitalism, GPL software, (CC)'d music, independent blogs with no recognizable identity, and philsophy.
Government Agent 2: *grins as well* Oh yes, we caught ourselves a really bad boy....
Cue! (Score:2)
Time for 50+ posts explaining to us how, if it's not a government doing it, it's not censorship.
Oh no, not another boom of penis enlargers! (Score:1)
Self-policing (Score:1)
chosen?! (Score:3, Insightful)
There is only ONE LEGAL PARTY in China. Get a clue and quit posting nonsense.
Re:chosen?! (Score:1)
No, there are several legal parties in China.
Whether they are puppet parties... BUT, to perhaps counter another suggestion, there are several counties, jurisdictions, etc, who have started to introduce voting for various local government and mayoral candidates - anonymous voting - and these are candidates mandating and introducing widly different policies, albeit at their micro level. So far this has been in
Re:chosen?! (Score:2)
Re:Enough criticism! (Score:2)
Re:Enough criticism! (Score:4, Insightful)
Chinese people elect their government the same way we elect circus clowns. They don't.
They had a revolution, and chose the bad choice over the really bad choice. Sure, some of them are content, but they know that they have no say about what goes on in their government. They know that the government hands out ultimatums such as this one (help us or go out of business) on a regulat basis.
The only way you can justify the Chinese people choosing their government is because they choose not to have another revolution. Given how difficult that is in a dictatorship with an iron fist, we really can't hold that against them.
The real question is what part the USA should play in helping them with their government. I say fuck'em. Let them do it themselves. We need to stop nation building and setting up puppet governments. If they never get a clue, too bad for them.
Re:Enough criticism! (Score:2)
And no matter who you choose, there will be more DRM, more anti-terrorist measures (so that they can map you in more detail), and more invasions abroad.
Now, that is what I call a circus.
Re:Enough criticism! (Score:2)
Since you brought up the topic of U.S. government: while we may not have the free and open republic that some claim we have, our government really does respond to pressure from citizens. Usually by jerking their knees, but they do respond. When Chinese citizens protested in Tieneman Square in 1989, what did the government do to change or even acknowledge problems? Nothing. What did the U.S. government do when tens of thousands of U.S. citizens protested over a draconian immigration bill? Our Congressmen sto
Re:Enough criticism! (Score:2)
Re:Enough criticism! (Score:2)
There will be more of the things you consider bad because there are not enough people who agree with you. The government does respond to pressure. The problem is that DRM has no pressure from the masses and so gets no loving. Welcome to democracy.
There is plenty that politicians might love to do but can't because of the pressure of democracy. A draft wil
Re:Enough criticism! (Score:2, Interesting)