"The threat of people acting in their own enlightened and rational self-interest strikes bureaucrats, politicians and social workers as ominous and dangerous." - W. G. Hill
Chinese province issues swipe IDs to Internet cafe users
privacy 2002-11-05
People in the central Chinese province of Jiangxi who use cybercafes are having their online activities monitored by police.
Anyone who wants to use a cybercafe must now carry an Internet identity card containing personal details including their name and address. These details are then logged onto a police database.
Each time someone visits a cybercafe in Jiangxi their card is swiped enabling authorities to see who is online and what sites they're accessing.
AP reports that this enables police to block access to certain sites, or even prevent individual users from using the Net. According to official sources the new system was introduced last month to identify criminals operating online and to prevent crimes.
