[registrars] China Government tightens up on Registrars....

[Paul M Kane]

Fellow Registrars.....

The time is fast approaching when all registrars should be proactively 
supporting the ICANN model - particularly with WSIS approaching.......

My next email may contain a few suggestions....

Best

Paul
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Published on TaipeiTimes <http://www.taipeitimes.com>
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2003/11/22/2003076827

China tightens its rules on Internet address managers


REUTERS , BEIJING
Saturday, Nov 22, 2003,Page 5

China has issued stricter rules for companies that manage Internet 
addresses, in a move analysts said was designed to improve service 
standards as well as tighten control over sensitive information in the 
burgeoning sector.

Such firms, known in the industry as registrars, must now have a minimum 
of one million yuan (US$121,000) in start-up capital, at least 15 
employees and offer 24-hour customer service, the regulation, issued on 
Thursday, said. Previous rules had been vague.

They "must have strict and effective filtering mechanisms for cleaning 
bad and offensive domain names, which should be done once a day," the 
Ministry of Information Industry, which issued the articles, said on its 
Web site www.mii.gov.cn.

The firms, which number about 30 so far in China and serve mostly 
companies with their own Web sites, must also be registered with the 
powerful Ministry of Culture as proper Internet content providers, it said.

Industry watchers said the new rules formalized government control over 
the fast-growing Internet domain name sector where not all participants 
toe the Communist Party line on democracy, free speech and adult content.

"Small companies without an established investment and physical presence 
are much more likely to disregard regulations," said Nathan Midler, a 
research manager at IDC Asia Pacific.

"Companies with a substantial investment have a vested interest in 
cooperating," he said.

Diplomats say Chinese leaders know they must promote the free flow of 
information on the Internet for China to be a respected member of the 
international community, but are unwilling to face the potential 
criticism that freedom of speech can unleash.

Beijing has a special force of at least 30,000 "cyber cops" who patrol 
the Web, block some foreign news sites and shut down domestic sites with 
politically incorrect fare.