Shenzhen's Internet patrol program will be expanded to eight
more cities nationwide next month, the Ministry of Public Security
said at a national conference on the Internet administration over
the weekend.
Shenzhen's public security bureau said since the program became
operational in January, the amount of harmful and hazardous
information at the city's major portal Web sites has reduced by 60
percent.
The program comes after numerous attempts this year to tighten
control over online content, including a pledge of self-censorship
by 43 Beijing Web sites.
The meeting, which ended in Beijing on Saturday, was told the
cities covered by the system would be Chongqing, Hangzhou, Ningbo,
Qingdao, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu.
On Shenzhen Web sites, "Jingjing" and "Chacha" — two cartoon
images representing police officers on patrol — are pasted beside
chat room entrances. Police say the images work both as a warning
not to violate the law and as a way for Internet users to report
crime.
By clicking the icons of "Jingjing" and "Chacha," netizens can
also find information on rules and regulations of cyber space
management and typical online crimes.
(Shenzhen Daily May 16, 2006)
