China syndromeChina further limits Internet access

In its continuing efforts to control the Internet, Chinese officials are now mandating that all cafes, hotels, and businesses in central Beijing install surveillance technology for Wi-Fi users. Those who do not cooperate will face fines or even closure.

The new software costs roughly 20,000 Yuan, or $3,100, to install and would allow government officials to check the identities of users and monitor their activity at public computers.

The latest effort to censor the Internet comes after China tightened its already sophisticated web censorship system in the wake of the democratic uprisings in the Middle East. In an effort to preserve stability and prevent similar unrest from spilling into China, government officials blocked more than a million Web sites last year including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Evite.

The new measures seem to be aimed at closing the remaining outlet where individuals with their own laptops can get online and surf the Internet with relative freedom. It is at these locations where many of the country’s microbloggers manage their sites that have government officials concerned.

Meanwhile many café owners and residents are unhappy with the new regulations citing both the cost of the program or its invasive nature.

“From the point of view of the common people, this policy is unfair,” said Wang Bo, a café owner affected by the new policy. “It’s just an effort to control the flow of information.”

“This is undoubtedly an invasion of Wi-Fi users’ privacy,” said Jason Chen, a 22-year-old Beijing resident. “We have already felt the restriction on university campuses, since they have always been monitored. But this time, the control is stretching to cafes and people’s feeling of violation is sharper. If cafes cancel their Wi-Fi I will care a lot, and I believe young people will react strongly.”

Rather than pay to install the new software or face fines, many café owners have simply unplugged their routers, which could hurt their business.

“To be honest, I can get Internet at home or at work, but it’s nice to just sit in a comfortable place and surf the Web,” said Wang Fang, 28, an advertising sales agent who often works at a café called Kubrick, which recently chose shut off its Wi-Fi access instead of paying for the new software. “If there’s no Internet, there’s no reason to come here.”

Kubrick’s manager said that since they turned off their Wi-Fi there has been a 30 percent decline in business.

Other shop owners have disconnected their routers in protest of China’s censorship system.

“I refuse to be part of an Orwellian surveillance system that forces my customers to disclose their identity to a government that wants to monitor how they use the Internet,” said one café owner who spoke anonymously for fear that speaking on the record would attract trouble from authorities.

So far it is unclear how strictly the policy will be enforced as only the Dongcheng district of Beijing has told shop owners of the new regulations. The Guardian reports that businesses outside of Dongcheng had not heard of the new policy.

When questioned by the Guardian about the policy, the Beijing police headquarters did not respond and an officer with the Dongcheng branch maintained that the policy was city-wide.

The officer added, “This regulation is made to enhance internet security and to assist public security bureau to break criminal cases. Details of implementation are confidential.”