China's delay in installing anti-porn filter hailed

The American and European chambers of commerce in China have welcomed a decision by Beijing to delay an order that new computers sold in the country be equipped with an Internet filtering programme.

The filter, called Green Dam Youth Escort, was to have been required from today, but the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said computer makers needed more time, state media reported.

Beijing says the software is designed to shield children within the world's largest online population from pornography, but trade and rights groups are concerned it is an attempt to tighten already strict controls on Internet use.

"We believe that this is a positive development, which is consistent with international best practices and is good for Chinese consumers, the government and the business community," the American Chamber of Commerce in China said in a statement.

"We recognise and continue to support the use of effective and responsible parental controls to protect children from inappropriate material on the Internet."

AmCham said it considered the announcement of the delay "a positive step forward" but would continue to monitor the situation.

The European Chamber of Commerce in China also said it was encouraged by the decision.

"This is a pragmatic solution," it said. "The European Chamber looks forward to continuing to work with the Chinese government to find market-based solutions that enable consumer choice and protect children on the Internet."

China's Xinhua news agency quoted a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spokesman on Tuesday as saying the "pre-installation was delayed as some computer producers said such a massive installation demanded extra time."

No new timetable given

The spokesman did not give a new timetable for the software to be installed.

The United States and European Union, industry groups, Internet freedom advocates and even some Chinese state media reports had criticised the plan as a new threat to Internet freedom in China, which an online population at roughly 300 million.

Xinhua said the ministry would continue to provide free downloads of the software and equip schools and Internet cafe computers with it after July 1, quoting a spokesman with ministry.

"The ministry would also keep on soliciting opinions to perfect the pre-installation plan," he was quoted saying.

China has a history of blocking sites carrying politically sensitive topics such as the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on democracy protesters, the banned Falungong spiritual movement, or criticism of the government.

China's Communist Party censors have struggled in recent years to keep pace with an explosion of online content, which is often the only outlet for ordinary Chinese to vent concerns about official corruption and government abuses.

Authorities have typically couched periodic clampdowns in terms of halting the spread of obscene material, and Beijing has said the new software plan was aimed at protecting young people from pornography.

But last week, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said the rule may violate World Trade Organisation regulations while the European Commission called it "unacceptable."