GreenDam
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China backtracks, makes Green Dam 'optional'
China's efforts to preload the Green Dam censorware on all PCs in the country have been going pretty poorly so far, with accusations of software piracy and manufacturer displeasure causing delays. Now the government is backing down from that stance, stating that the original regulation wasn't "expressed clearly, and gave everyone the impression that [Green Dam] was mandatory." For home computers, that means the internet filtering software will likely continue to be bundled as an optional (and inactive) extra -- something Acer, ASUS, Lenovo and Sony have been doing since early July -- but if you're at school, an internet cafe or some other public access point, expect to see Green Dam running, alive and well. Censorship is dead, long live censorship. [Via CNET]
China delays plan for mandatory "Green Dam" internet filter
There's not exactly much more details than the headline on this one, but China's official Xinhua news agency is reporting that the country is delaying its plans that would require that the so-called "Green Dam Youth Escort" internet filtering software be installed on all PCs sold in China. That requirement was set to go into effect on Wednesday but, as we have seen, it's caused no shortage of controversy during the lead up -- both because of the general nature of the software, and because of some piracy and security issues that could leave PCs with the software vulnerable to an attack. No word on a new date just yet, but it seems unlikely that the delay will be an indefinite one.[Thanks, James]
Sony now including "Green Dam" filtering software on PCs sold in China
Well, there was some evidence earlier this month that some piracy issues in China's mandated "Green Dam" content-filtering software could cause PC exports to the country to be stalled, but it looks like Sony has now gone ahead and included the software on its PCs regardless, albeit with a few major caveats. According to the document above (included with a VAIO PC sold in the country, and translated by RConversation's Rebecca MacKinnon), Sony says that it is including the software "in accordance with government requirements," but that it "cannot guarantee the authenticity, legality, or compatibility of the software's content, function, service or any other feature." It's also apparently only including the program on the hard drive and providing installation instructions, rather than providing it completely pre-installed itself. Still no word from any of the other major PC manufacturers, it seems, but you can be sure this won't be the last word on the matter.[Via TG Daily]
PC exports to China to potentially be blocked due to pirated filtering software
We're not exactly supportive of the Chinese government requiring new PCs to be imported with content-filtering software, but like we keep saying, karma's a bitch: CyberSitter developer Solid Oak says it's found stolen code inside the Green Dam Youth Escort filtering software mandated by Chinese authorities, and it's considering filing a lawsuit to halt shipments. In the meantime, the company has asked heavy hitters like Dell and HP to refrain from installing Green Dam; Dell says it's still reviewing the Chinese requirements and hasn't yet shipped any machines with the software, but some nine million copies of the software have already gone out. For its part, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has "ordered the problem be fixed," but it's unclear when that'll happen -- and it still doesn't change the delicious multilayered irony of Chinese censorship efforts being thwarted by a copyright infringement action.Update: Things were getting a little out of control down there, so we've disabled comments on this one.
