China has issued stricter rules for companies that manage Internet addresses, in a move analysts said was designed to improve service standards as well as tighten control over sensitive information in the burgeoning sector.
Such firms, known in the industry as registrars, must now have a minimum of one million yuan (US$121,000) in start-up capital, at least 15 employees and offer 24-hour customer service, the regulation, issued on Thursday, said. Previous rules had been vague.
They "must have strict and effective filtering mechanisms for cleaning bad and offensive domain names, which should be done once a day," the Ministry of Information Industry, which issued the articles, said on its Web site www.mii.gov.cn.
The firms, which number about 30 so far in China and serve mostly companies with their own Web sites, must also be registered with the powerful Ministry of Culture as proper Internet content providers, it said.
Industry watchers said the new rules formalized government control over the fast-growing Internet domain name sector where not all participants toe the Communist Party line on democracy, free speech and adult content.
"Small companies without an established investment and physical presence are much more likely to disregard regulations," said Nathan Midler, a research manager at IDC Asia Pacific.
"Companies with a substantial investment have a vested interest in cooperating," he said.
Diplomats say Chinese leaders know they must promote the free flow of information on the Internet for China to be a respected member of the international community, but are unwilling to face the potential criticism that freedom of speech can unleash.
Beijing has a special force of at least 30,000 "cyber cops" who patrol the Web, block some foreign news sites and shut down domestic sites with politically incorrect fare.
A tweet by Elon Musk saying Japan would “eventually cease to exist” without a higher birthrate yesterday set off a flood of sarcasm and anger — but much of angst was aimed at a Japanese government many said has done little to address the issue. Musk, the head of electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc, on Saturday wrote on Twitter: “At risk of stating the obvious, unless something changes to cause the birth rate to exceed the death rate, Japan will eventually cease to exist. This would be a great loss for the world.” The comment hit a nerve among Japan watchers and
The head of Australia’s foreign intelligence service has used a rare public address to suggest that an increasing number of disillusioned Chinese officials are willing to cooperate with the agency. Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) director-general Paul Symon addressed a range of topics related to Australia’s foreign intelligence operations, including the recent Solomon Islands-China security pact and the need to recruit new spies “with more vigor and urgency” than ever before. Speaking at a Sydney event hosted by the Lowy Institute to mark ASIS’ 70th anniversary, he said the audience, which included high ranking members of Australia’s intelligence community and top diplomats,
WARNINGS IGNORED: An initial count found that Ferdinand Marcos Jr had 56 percent of the presidential vote, while Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter would be VP The son of late Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos yesterday cemented a landslide presidential election victory, after Filipinos bet a familiar but tainted dynasty could ease rampant poverty — while dismissing warnings that the clan’s return would worsen corruption and weaken democracy. With an initial count almost complete, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr had secured more than 56 percent of the vote — more than double the tally of his nearest rival, Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo, a lawyer and a liberal. His now unassailable lead of 16 million-plus votes spells another astonishing reversal in the fortunes of the Marcos family, who have gone
CULTURAL RIFT: The decree calling for women to only show their eyes when in public would likely disrupt Taliban efforts to win recognition from potential donors Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers on Saturday ordered all Afghan women to wear head-to-toe clothing in public — a sharp pivot that confirmed the worst fears of rights advocates and was bound to further complicate Taliban dealings with an already distrustful international community. The decree says that women should leave the home only when necessary, and that male relatives would face punishment — starting with a summons and escalating up to court hearings and jail time — for women’s dress code contraventions. It was the latest in a series of repressive edicts issued by the Taliban leadership, not all of which have been implemented. Last
RSS