A number of U.S. and international business groups expressed concern to the Chinese government Tuesday about a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology notice mandating the installation of so-called "Green Dam" Internet filtering software on all computers sold in China, beginning July 1, 2009. "This mandate raises significant questions of security, privacy, system reliability, the free flow of information and user choice," the groups said. "A technology-specific mandate such as this also seems to run contrary to China's own goal of becoming a leading IT and information-based society." The signatories also urged "the use of effective and responsible parental controls" and said they would welcome a dialogue with China on how best to advance that objective.
Tech stakeholders signing the letter to Minister Li Yizhong included the Business Software Alliance, Consumer Electronics Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Semiconductor Industry Association, Software and Information Industry Association, TechAmerica, and the Telecommunications Industry Association. Broader business groups that joined them included the Business Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, US-China Business Council, and the American Chamber of Commerce in China. Reports that the Green Dam software is compulsory on all computers are "a misunderstanding," according to China Daily. An official said the software's setup files must be present on all PCs or on an installation CD but installation is up to users.
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