The following is my translation of an editoral on www.chinabyte.com.cn, which is an website all about information technology. Any comments would be welcome. And if you think it is inapropriate to post something like that, please tell me. I want to say that I am not intend to start any kind of political topic by posting it. (Many people in China get online in Internet cafes because they cannot afford to buy PCs. )
Internet Cafe Regulation and Consumers' rights
2004-04-29 13:18 ChinaByte
The nation-wide campaign of regulation of Internet cafes is to be launched from April26. All Internet cafes across the nation will be obliged to institute the software of "computer management system of Internet service places" by the Cultural Ministry. By using this software, the cultural administration will be able to keep a close, continuous eye on Internet cafes throughout the nation. This new monitor system is going to be installed on 11,000 computers in the 1329 Internet Cafes in Shanghai, where this new policy will be first implemented.
However, according to the Eestern Morning Newspaper, the policy has aroused some legal dispute while the installaion of the software is still under way. Some Internet users and expert argue that, the policy is likely to infringe Internet-users' right of privacy.
The administrators will be able to monitor people's activities on any computers in any Internet cafes in their offices by this software. They say that in doing so, they can protect teenagers from any harmful information online. But the Internet cafe comsumers's right of privacy will be seemingly infriged with all of things they do on the computers monitored by other people.
This is a situation where we have to choose between Internet users' personal rights and social interests. The regulation of the government could somewhat infringe consumers' rights, but it will benefit society by preventing teenagers from engaging in any harmful information so as to reduce bad effcts brought by Internet cafes.
We have to balance between people's right of privacy and social public interests. We cannot ignore all of consumers' rights in Internet cafes by the regulation. From a legal standpoint, Law of Consumers' Rights Protection is above the regulation issued by Cultural Ministry. People's using computers in Internet cafes is a type of consumption, so their rights as consumers, including right of privacy, are protected by the Law of Consumers' Rights Protection. The regulation need to show respect for their basic right of privacy.
How should we do to respect consumers' rights in the regulation? The cultural administration need to keep consumers' rights in mind before they enforce the policy and take some measures to reduce the infringement of consumers' rights. For example, if the staffs in the Internet cafes warn people that their activities online will be monitored before they start to surf, there will be no infrigement of their rights.
Internet Cafe Regulation and Consumers' rights
2004-04-29 13:18 ChinaByte
The nation-wide campaign of regulation of Internet cafes is to be launched from April26. All Internet cafes across the nation will be obliged to institute the software of "computer management system of Internet service places" by the Cultural Ministry. By using this software, the cultural administration will be able to keep a close, continuous eye on Internet cafes throughout the nation. This new monitor system is going to be installed on 11,000 computers in the 1329 Internet Cafes in Shanghai, where this new policy will be first implemented.
However, according to the Eestern Morning Newspaper, the policy has aroused some legal dispute while the installaion of the software is still under way. Some Internet users and expert argue that, the policy is likely to infringe Internet-users' right of privacy.
The administrators will be able to monitor people's activities on any computers in any Internet cafes in their offices by this software. They say that in doing so, they can protect teenagers from any harmful information online. But the Internet cafe comsumers's right of privacy will be seemingly infriged with all of things they do on the computers monitored by other people.
This is a situation where we have to choose between Internet users' personal rights and social interests. The regulation of the government could somewhat infringe consumers' rights, but it will benefit society by preventing teenagers from engaging in any harmful information so as to reduce bad effcts brought by Internet cafes.
We have to balance between people's right of privacy and social public interests. We cannot ignore all of consumers' rights in Internet cafes by the regulation. From a legal standpoint, Law of Consumers' Rights Protection is above the regulation issued by Cultural Ministry. People's using computers in Internet cafes is a type of consumption, so their rights as consumers, including right of privacy, are protected by the Law of Consumers' Rights Protection. The regulation need to show respect for their basic right of privacy.
How should we do to respect consumers' rights in the regulation? The cultural administration need to keep consumers' rights in mind before they enforce the policy and take some measures to reduce the infringement of consumers' rights. For example, if the staffs in the Internet cafes warn people that their activities online will be monitored before they start to surf, there will be no infrigement of their rights.
