Chinese PC Company Lenovo is set to be among the first PC Companies to bow to Chinese Government pressure that all PC’s being made for the Chinese market after July 1, must be shipped with software that blocks access to certain Web sites.
Chinese PC Company Lenovo is set to be among the first PC Companies to bow to Chinese Government pressure that all PC’s being made for the Chinese market after July 1, must be shipped with software that blocks access to certain Web sites.
The censorship move will give the Chinese Government unprecedented control over how Chinese users access the Internet.
The software must be pre installed claims Chinese Government officials who have also said the move is aimed at cutting out access to pornography web sites.
According to the wall Street Journal the Chinese government’s history of censoring a broad range of Web content has raised concern among some foreign industry officials and the U.S. government that the new effort could significantly increase the government’s control over Internet access in China. Industry executives also warn that the software could cause PCs in China to malfunction, and could make them more vulnerable to hacking.
It is expected that US manufacturers like HP and Dell who have around 22% of the Chinese PC market will bow to the demands of the Chinese Government and install the new software which was developed by Jinhui Computer System’s with input from Beijing Dazheng Human Language Technology Academy. Both companies have ties to China’s military and its security ministry.
Lenovo has 26% of the Chinese market.
A spokeswoman for Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest PC vendor by shipments, said the company is “working with the government. Dell declined to comment.
