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Beijing (pte055/14.02.2005/16:15) - Chinese authorities closed down 12,575 internet cafes in the closing months of 2004, according to the country's government. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, according to the official Xinhua news agency, the majority of the cafes were closed because they were operating illegally. Chinese internet cafes operate under a strict set of guidelines and many of those most recently closed broke rules that limit how close they can be to schools. The move is the latest in a series of steps the government has taken to crack down on "immoral net use". According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the crackdown was carried out to create a "safer environment for young people in China".
In 2002, the government introduced rules stipulating that internet cafes must be at least 200 metres away from middle and elementary schools. The hours that children are able to use the cafes are also tightly regulated. The country has been worried for a long time that internet cafes are an unhealthy influence on young people. The 12,575 cafes were shut in the three months from October to December.
Internet cafes are hugely popular in China because the high cost of computer hardware means that few people have PCs in their homes. However, in recent times the Chinese government has moved against internet cafes that are not operating within its strict guidelines. It also monitors online traffic for content that may be seen as politically sensitive. (newsfox reports: http://www.newsfox.com/pteprint.mc?pte=050207021) In August 2004, Chinese authorities shut down 700 websites and arrested 224 people in a crackdown on net porn. At the same time, it introduced new controls to block overseas sex sites. According to the Reporters Without Borders group, Chinese government technologies for e-mail interception and net censorship are among the most highly developed in the world.
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