Internet cafes to be more regulated

[warpedbored]

Most Internet Cafes to Be Chains in 3 years: Official

 

 

 

 

The majority of local Internet cafes, currently exceeding 110,000 in the country, will be put under the management of large chain store companies within three years, as part of efforts by the Chinese government to rein in the fledgling and troublesome business.

 

 

Liu Yuzhu, an official with the Ministry of Culture, said this Saturday at the First China International Exposition on Online Culture being held in Beijing.

 

 

 

In June 2002, some people set fire in a local Internet cafe, killing 25 and injuring 13, which triggered a crackdown on unlicensed operations. As a result, the number of Internet shops dropped from 200,000 to 110,000.

 

 

 

Less than 100 chain store operators will be set up in the future, to help regulate and standardize the sector.

 

 

 

Not all of the Internet cafes will be chains, but the government will issue relevant regulations to ensure the healthy operations of these individual shops, according to the official.

 

 

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2003)

[keelec]

Hmmm,

 

I assume the businesses should be regulated like other businesses. Buildings should have adequate power, ventillation, entrances, exits, occupancy ratings, & etc. Thus, they should be "safe". This doesn't mean that they should be forced into monopolies. (Maybe I am thinking too much in "American" Terms).

 

I would assume there will be a natural evolution of the "internet cafes" over the next decade or two. As computers get more integrated into Chinese Society, I would imagine that eventually the internet cafes will die out. Perhaps they will be replaced by the American Style espresso shops that now also provide wireless internet access for laptop owners.

 

---- Clifford -----

[Mick]

I was living in China when that fire in the internet cafe happened. It was a real tragedy. I think the government is trying to reel in the cafes for a varieity of reasons. Certainly, safety is a major concern. Secondly, officials are concerned that they do not have enough control over the content individually owned shops allow their customers to access via the internet. Freedom of information is not yet a reality in China. In the city where I lived, several cafes were closed down for violating rules about access to certain web sites. So there are several issues involved here I think. Safety as well as control.

[robhon]

If safety was a real concern they would also be cracking down on all the Mah Jong parlors as well. ...I don't see that happening any time too soon.

 

In fact, I'm trying to think of one place where people congregate in China where I felt it wasn't a safety hazard... Hmmmm. McDonald's, maybe.

[danswayne]

Try getting in line at lunch time and tell me McDonalds in not a safety hazard. In Changsha it could be one of the most dangerous places in the city.

[Mick]

Try getting in line at lunch time and tell me McDonalds in not a safety hazard.  In Changsha it could be one of the most dangerous places in the city.      

Boy have you got that right Daniel. In Shantou, the McDonalds rivaled the train station for mass chaos. Especially on the weekends. Wall to wall kids and ice cream everywhere.

[MoonCarolCafe]

And fresh warm pineapple pies

 

Which still cost almost exactly what a pie would cost in the USA

[frank1538]

Which still cost almost exactly what a pie would cost in the USA  

Another reason why Jingwen says she doesn't like American - too expensive. Then again, her only real exposure to American food is Mickie D's, Pizza Hut and KFC.

[bobmal99]

My wife is doing ok with the US food.

But she says she really misses the Shanghai food, as do I..!!!

[owenkrout]

The real is not safety, it is control. They are just using the safety angle as an excuse for further controls on internet access. The internet parlors immediately became a roaring success and a huge headache for the government that wants to control what people are thinking and what they are discussing.

 

Anyone who has lived in China can testify that safety is not a big issue in the minds of the government except in the realm of public order and conformity.

[Mick]

And fresh warm pineapple pies         

 

Which still cost almost exactly what a pie would cost in the USA 

Not to mention Red Bean pies!

[keelec]

The real is not safety, it is control.  They are just using the safety angle as an excuse for further controls on internet access.  The internet parlors immediately became a roaring success and a huge headache for the government that wants to control what people are thinking and what they are discussing.

 

Anyone who has lived in China can testify that safety is not a big issue in the minds of the government except in the realm of public order and conformity.

Hmmm,

 

I can see how it would be easier to deal with a select few businesses that "agree" with the government than a proliferation of others.

 

Why doesn't the government control the Internet "Pipeline" and "Satelites"....

 

They could allow any "Internet Cafe", but regulate the international flow of information that gets to the Cafes, as well as regulating what gets posted domestically.

Since I believe that China can maintain it's own communication satelites, I would presume that they could require the ISPs to use Chinese communication satelites. It would take seconds to spot-check who is providing the internet feed in each internet cafe. One could even create a program that would monitor all licensed establishments.

 

I would assume that it would be MUCH easier to regulate the cafes that would be purchasing internet time than regulating the individuals who decide to put a satelite dish on their rooftop (for TV, of course).

 

Of course, the Internet is ONE HUGE BEAST TO TRY TO CONTROL. I've tried to make a simple SPAM filter for Outlook..... You wouldn't believe how many spellings there are for common "male dysfunction drugs", or how quickly the same person can change e-mail addresses. I presume there are millions of "hit and run" websites that pop up for a few weeks, splatter their message, then disappear entirely.

 

Some companies like "WebSense" actually do a pretty good job.... down to the point that one can download waterfalls, but not bikinis from WebShots (not that I would use WebShots).

 

Of course, there are 2 approaches to regulating the flood. The first is to filter out what isn't wanted. The other option is to only allow "legitimate" websites. The second being far more restrictive, but much easier to control.

---- Clifford ----

[keelec]

Which still cost almost exactly what a pie would cost in the USA  

Another reason why Jingwen says she doesn't like American - too expensive. Then again, her only real exposure to American food is Mickie D's, Pizza Hut and KFC.

Just wait until she actually comes to America........

 

Then you get to explain that the $10 that you just left on the table at the restaraunt wasn't for the meal..... It was just the TIP

[Mick]

The real is not safety, it is control.  They are just using the safety angle as an excuse for further controls on internet access.  The internet parlors immediately became a roaring success and a huge headache for the government that wants to control what people are thinking and what they are discussing.

 

Anyone who has lived in China can testify that safety is not a big issue in the minds of the government except in the realm of public order and conformity.

Hmmm,

 

I can see how it would be easier to deal with a select few businesses that "agree" with the government than a proliferation of others.

 

Why doesn't the government control the Internet "Pipeline" and "Satelites"....

 

They could allow any "Internet Cafe", but regulate the international flow of information that gets to the Cafes, as well as regulating what gets posted domestically.

Since I believe that China can maintain it's own communication satelites, I would presume that they could require the ISPs to use Chinese communication satelites. It would take seconds to spot-check who is providing the internet feed in each internet cafe. One could even create a program that would monitor all licensed establishments.

 

I would assume that it would be MUCH easier to regulate the cafes that would be purchasing internet time than regulating the individuals who decide to put a satelite dish on their rooftop (for TV, of course).

 

Of course, the Internet is ONE HUGE BEAST TO TRY TO CONTROL. I've tried to make a simple SPAM filter for Outlook..... You wouldn't believe how many spellings there are for common "male dysfunction drugs", or how quickly the same person can change e-mail addresses. I presume there are millions of "hit and run" websites that pop up for a few weeks, splatter their message, then disappear entirely.

 

Some companies like "WebSense" actually do a pretty good job.... down to the point that one can download waterfalls, but not bikinis from WebShots (not that I would use WebShots).

 

Of course, there are 2 approaches to regulating the flood. The first is to filter out what isn't wanted. The other option is to only allow "legitimate" websites. The second being far more restrictive, but much easier to control.

---- Clifford ----

The government makes every attempt to control the pipeline but still things get through. Further, they have little control over the internet chat rooms, which are very popular in China. Sometimes things get posted there that are not considered "politically correct". I agree with Owen. The main issue here is control. I saw this issue raise its ugly head time and time again during the years I lived in China.

[tonado]

Just like America, everything will be a chain, franchise or merger.