PC firms face China decree

The government, which has told international PC makers of the requirement but has yet to publicly announce it, says the effort is aimed at protecting young people from "harmful" content.

The software must either be preinstalled on the hard drive or enclosed on a compact disc. Chinese executives involved in the effort say the software is intended to block access to pornography. But the Chinese government's history of censoring a broad range of web content has raised concern among some foreign industry officials and the US government that the new effort could significantly increase the government's control over Internet access in China. Industry executives also warn that the software could cause PCs in China to malfunction, and could make them more vulnerable to hacking. More...

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