Chinese government requires all new PCs to include censorship software

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has ordered that all personal computers, whether made in China or imported from abroad, must include specific software to filter inappropriate information.Rebecca MacKinnon, assistant professor at the Journalism & Media Studies Center at the University of Hong Kong, has posted a copy of the Chinese government order on her Web site.

According to her translation, Web filtering software called Green Dam Youth Escort must be installed on all PCs sold in China as of July 1. The software also must be included on a hard-drive partition or on a CD included with the computer to allow for reinstallation.

PC makers also are required to provide the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology with monthly sales figures, installation figures, and comments for the remainder of the year. In 2010, reports will be required annually, by the end of February, rather than monthly.

The U.S. Department of State didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, technology companies have asked the U.S. government to treat speech restrictions as a restraint on trade.

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