You have to give the Chinese credit for perseverance. They never give up, and when their policies don't work, they wait for a better time to implement them. They change the names of products or the way the rules are written, but they make them vague enough that they can be interpreted broadly. We have to stop falling for this nonsense. [see http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-aims-to-strengthen-internet-child-safety-policies-1476282383 for some insight on this matter].
The Green Dam was a censorship and intelligence collection tool which was characterized by its full title, Green Dam Youth Escort. Put this on every computer made in China, or made for use in China, and our children will never have to worry about content that is not controlled by the State. The actual person on the street in China sees a need for this kind of thing, without even looking at how the software worked. In my last book, I went into the background of this software and the analysis of its real capabilities. The real intent was not just to allow only content the State thought was good for children. It blocked religious websites, politically sensitive sites, and some specific individuals who favored political reforms in China. Not many of our children go looking for some of these things on computers. About the only sensible thing it blocked were pornographers.
The real issue with Green Dam was the attempt by China to require vendors outside China to help them defend Chinese children by putting the software on their computers too. At least the Obama Administration had the sense to explore taking this to the World Trade Organization, which finally made them back down - partially. They still allowed vendors to put the software on "voluntarily".
All the Chinese did was put this aside for awhile and now want to bring it back with a few tweaks. Maybe they figure with the elections coming, nobody will notice a few little changes in Chinese policy.
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