Tightening Internet Regulation In China

The longstanding tension in China between expansion of service to the Internet and regulation of content on the Internet has entered a new phase. While the so-called Great Firewall remains in place to block unwanted overseas content and postings by ordinary citizens remain subject to censorship, now the restrictions on publishing and programming familiar to radio, film and television are being extended in full to the Internet. 

Specifically, the 2002 Interim Regulations on the Administration of Internet Publishing (the Old Regulations) have been replaced by the Regulations on the Administration of Internet Publishing Services (the New Regulations) issued February 4 and effective March 10 (separate regulations apply to news). The New Regulations, jointly issued by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) as publishing regulator and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as Internet regulator, are twice as