China Backs Down Over Controversial Censorship Software

China’s announcement that the Green Dam software would now be optional could become a parable of the power of the internet. From blogs to newspapers to internet sites, there has been a groundswell of criticism with individuals and organizations revealing glitches and weaknesses with the program as well as its more suspicious intent to limit free political discourse. For example, the computer code was shown to contain holes that would allow outside control of the host computer as well as “embedded blacklists” of sensitive words such as Falun Gong or the date of Tiananmen Square killing. But criticism was not limited to Chinese bloggers or foreign commentators; even China’s official media noted obvious contradictions with the project, such as requiring people without children to install the software. As more links between the software developers and the military come to light, the public’s suspicion over the intent of the software grows. Meanwhile, the government’s attempt to soft peddle the situation means it could potentially lose even more credibility. The Green Dam program provides a telling lesson: the collective, global power of internet can at times overwhelm even governments. – YaleGlobal