Message-ID: <199811171855.NAA20904@cti06.citenet.net> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 13:47:02 +0500 From: "George(s) Lessard" <mailto:media@citenet.net> Subject: TRIAL TESTS CHINA'S GRIP ON THE INTERNET To: mailto:INTDEV-L@uriacc.uri.edu
TRIAL WILL TEST CHINA'S GRIP ON THE INTERNET Issue: CensorshipLin Hai, according to his wife, has never been political, but the 30-year-old Chinese computer executive has become the focus in China's battleground between political dissidents and security forces. Lin is charged with "inciting subversion of state power" by providing tens of thousands of Chinese e-mail addresses to "hostile foreign publications."
The specific charge against Lin is that he provided the information to VIP Reference, an electronic newsletter compiled by Chinese democracy advocates in Washington and e-mailed to Chinese people. Presently VIP Reference produces an every-10-day newsletter which goes to 250,000 addresses in China and an everyday newsletter which goes to 25,000. In addition to VIP Reference and similar newsletters such as Tunnel and Public Opinion, online discussion groups are popular means of communication among political activists. While China uses a "firewall" to block access to Web sites it deems objectionable, new sites keep cropping up and clever users can sidestep the firewall. E-mail, except for that of individual persons, is virtually uncontrollable. In the closed trial which begins on November 26, Lin faces a possible prison sentence of five years or more. [SOURCE: New York Times (A7), AUTHOR: Erik Eckholm] <http:// www.nytimes.com/library/tech/yr/mo/biztech/articles/16china-internet
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