People's Republic of China

China is defending its directive forcing manufacturers to include blocking software in all personal computers sold there by July 1. The order from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is to filter out unhealthy content, including pornography and violence, according to ministry spokesperson Qin Gang.

Personal computers sold in China will have to include blocking software, beginning July 1. The directive from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in Beijing has gone to manufacturers, but hasn't been made public.

The directive aims to block users from specific sites and content, including pornography, according to Jinhui Computer Systems Engineering, the software maker. But foreign industry officials who viewed the software told The Wall Street Journal the move will give the Chinese government even more control over what users are viewing on the Internet.

Personal computers sold in China will have to include blocking software, beginning July 1. The directive from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in Beijing has gone to manufacturers, but hasn't been made public.

The directive aims to block users from specific sites and content, including pornography, according to Jinhui Computer Systems Engineering, the software maker. But foreign industry officials who viewed the software told The Wall Street Journal the move will give the Chinese government even more control over what users are viewing on the Internet.

In a 10-month investigation into Chinese cyber espionage against Tibetan institutions, researchers found that hackers tapped into foreign embassies, ministries of foreign affairs, and international organizations.

Security investigators from the Information Warfare Monitor (IWM), a public-private venture between a Canadian think tank and an academic group at the University of Toronto, found a network of 1,295 infected hosts in 103 countries. The investigators were asked by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Government in Exile, and others to investigate computer systems.

China's State Intellectual Property Office has denied a flurry of media reports suggesting the government agency was investigating Microsoft for discriminatory software pricing. In a statement briefly posted at its official Web site, according to media sources, the SIPO noted that it has never undertaken any market-monopoly investigations before, and has no plans to do so because its mandate from Chinese government agencies is "to investigate and research domestic piracy issues."

On Wednesday, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) introduced a resolution on the House floor calling for greater protection of congressional computer and information systems.

As part of that resolution, he said four computers in his office had been hacked, along with computers used by other Congress members and by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He identified the culprit as the People's Republic of China.