Glad I'm not in China

An article appeared in today's WSJ regarding China's new ruling to have all websites, web blogs and blogs registered or be shut down. According to the Ministry of Information, "The Internet has profited many people but it has also brought many problems, such as sex, violence and feudal superstitions that has seriously poisoned people's spirits." If commercial publishers and advertisers don't register their sites by June 30th, they could face a fine of up to 1MM yuan or $120K USD. Thus far, nearly 75% of sites have been registered. Part of the registry includes disclosing the complete identity of the person responsible for the site.

Last weekend marked the 16th anniversary of the march on Tiananmen Square in Hong Kong. The whole idea of the Internet is such a democratic notion - I wonder if people will protest the ruling of the Ministry through online and other new media campaigns to keep the idea of democracy blooming in China.