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Archive
California AB 1844 and the Role of Social Media in the Employment Process
Mobile Patent Wars Heat Up as USPTO Invalidates Key Apple Patents
Star Wars v. Finding Nemo: Did Disney Overpay for Lucasfilm?
The Rise and Growth of Crowdfunding Websites
Zappos, Online Contracts, and the Perils of Browsewrap Agreements
A General History of Western Trade Secret Law from the Time of Preliterate Society to Today - Pt. 2
Apple and Google Consider Arbitration for Worldwide Patent Disputes
A General History of Western Trade Secret Law from the Time of Preliterate Society to Today - Pt. 1
Apple's Slide to Unlock Patent and the Issue of Patent Continuations
Funding Your Project Pt. 1: Kickstarter and Lockitron
Apple's Double Standard: Apple's Contentions with MySpace and Samsung Icons
Sprinting Towards Success? SoftBank’s Investment in the US Market
Google News Under Fire Around the World
Court Fines Man $1.5 Million for Uploading 10 Porn Flicks to BitTorrent
Freedom of Expression v. China’s Control of the Internet
Posted By Pedro A. Avila, Feb 5, 2013
On December 28, 2012, China’s top legislature (the National People’s Congress) adopted three main new rules to limit individuals’ online privacy in China. The first rule is that internet users must identify themselves with their real names when signing up for internet service. The second rule is that when the government or an internet service provider (ISP) finds that a user has conducted illegal activity, the ISP is required to submit the user’s personal information and ID to the government. The third rule is that the government may delete posts or pages that are deemed to contain illegal information. The underlying policy consideration for these rules is to eliminate illegal activity on the internet and to encourage Chinese citizens to report illegal activities. These rules also substantially limit privacy for internet users in China. China already has one of the strictest internet policies in the world and the recent adoption of these rules is just another step in making China one of the least private places to be online. The Chinese constitution affords freedom of expression and its citizens are now effectively barred from this important medium of expression. The internet for many years has served as a vital medium for political and social discourse in China. Many Chinese citizens express themselves through the internet under pseudonyms to protect their identity and to avoid punishment. Now, citizens have less protection of their identity, and their posts are subject to removal and subsequent punishment. Source (The Verge): http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/24/3801842/china-considers-making-real-name-registration-mandatory-internet-users Source (The Next Web): http://thenextweb.com/asia/2012/12/28/china-approves-regulations-that-introduce-real-name-registration-for-all-internet-users/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29 Source (Reuters): http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/28/net-us-china-internet-idUSBRE8BO01320121228?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=56505 Source (Xinhua): http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-12/24/c_132059941.htm