China shut down 12,000 Internet bars in 2004

[R.A. Hettinga]

<http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050213/323/fce29.html>

Yahoo!


Sunday February 13, 10:35 PM

China shut down 12,000 Internet bars in 2004
Click to enlarge photo

 BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese authorities shut down more than 12,000 Internet
bars last year, state media said.
 As part of moves to "create a safer environment for young people," the
government in 2004 closed 12,575 illegal Internet bars, 2,861 dance clubs,
and 3,434 video halls, Xinhua news agency said.

 According to several government ministries, Chinese parents had complained
that the businesses, mainly located near schools, had "severely affected
students' cultural lives," it said.

 China has an Internet population of 87 million with about half of the web
users under the age of 24.

 China welcomes the Internet, as it helps the economy leapfrog into the
21st century, but at the same time it is worried about the way it enables
people to access information that is considered subversive.

 In reaction, the government has cracked down hard on Internet cafes,
closing down many, and is also monitoring online traffic for content that
might be deemed politically sensitive.

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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
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