ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the rules regulating the Internet come from two sources: specific rules for Internet regulation and general rules for telecommunications regulation. As China is readily embracing the information technology revolution, it has to deal with an accompanying problem, namely, the regulation of the Internet. With foreign participation guaranteed by World Trade Organization commitments, the Chinese rules on the Internet, though featuring the usual restrictive rhetoric, should not be so restrictive as to deny free access to the Internet. The Internet, with its staggering ability to disseminate information quickly and to give an amplified voice to minority views, would pose a fundamental challenge to China's tightly run society. However, the Internet rules also a result of pressure from the telecommunication industry. In general, rules regulating the Internet can largely be divided into three interrelated categories: rules governing Internet content censorship, rules governing operations of Internet service and rules governing users of Internet services.