Original article: [Chinese]

"Green Dam - Youth Escort", a controversial Internet filtering software funded by the Chinese government to protect the country's youth from unhealthy content, has become a household name overnight.

The software, which set the central treasury back 41.7 million yuan, will be installed on all new computers sold in mainland China after July 1.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology claims it is simply following international practice in attempting to prevent young people from being exposed to unhealthy content on-line and thus ensuring that they grow up in a healthy environment.

Therefore, it intends to take a tough line with any computer manufacturer that fails to install the software onto computers destined for the China market by the July 1 deadline.

Statistics show that by the end of June last year, the number of web users in China had climbed to 253 million, of which over 70% were teenagers.

With the rise in the number of young internet users, how to prevent teenagers from coming in to contact with unhealthy information has become an issue of public concern.

In response to this problem, the government, industry and parents are all looking for solutions to what is a global problem.

Installing internet filtering software is one of many solutions to the problem. However, the common practice overseas seems to be that governments recommend filtering software to the public, rather than force them to install a particular one.

The reason why the government's good intentions haven't met with praise comes down to the forceful imposition of the decision.

According to an on-line survey conducted on China's largest portal, sina.com.cn, over 80% respondents said they wouldn't consider using the "Green Dam" while only 10% indicated they would be willing.

This opposition is not aroused by doubts over the quality of the software, but rather dissatisfaction with the government's bungled handling of the matter which has deprived them of their right to choose.

The behaviors of the government are no doubt in keeping with their traditional notions of control and supervision.

We admit that unhealthy information can harm young people, and that it can be blocked, but we believe that blocking information should be done with caution. We should try and find a reasonable and effective method of filtering information that doesn't hinder online freedom.

In other words, the public isn't opposed to installing filtering software. However, the right to choose should be in the hands of the individual. Therefore, it's inappropriate for the government to take the advantage of its coercive powers and force all computers to be installed with this software.

Furthermore, the government and the software maker have yet to make a statement on whether installing this software can lead to disclosure of personal information.

Given the issue of how to protect juveniles from unhealthy information involves too many people's interests, the government should hold a public hearing and disclose its decision-making process before carrying out any such policy.

Holding public hearings will not only solve the serious problem of asymmetric information inherent in the government's policy making process, but will also allow the government to take on board suggestions from the public and in this way gain their support.

After all, this can enhance both the legality and feasibility of the government's policy decisions. A fair and legal procedure is a must for the establishment of rule of law by any government.

However, the introduction of this very policy managed to "filter out" a fair and open procedure.

Information on why, of all various filtering software on offer, the government selected "Green Dam" and how the cost of 41.7 million yuan was calculated remains unclear.

Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether the Internet environment will really be "purified" after this "Green Dam" has been built.

The controversy surrounding the attempted introduction of this "Green Dam" software should serve as an encouragement to the government to do away with their long-established tradition of control and not try to make decisions on behalf of the people.

Meanwhile, the government ought to delegate rights to individuals and start becoming a service-oriented government rather than a controlling one.