From Chinese Press

Internet management does not equal thought control

(peopledaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-05-10 16:35

The Internet has promoted crackdowns on counterfeit goods, the microblog-based rescue of abducted children and the cultivation of the spirit of citizenship. The online public participation in state affairs and online exposure of corrupted officials have helped the government to enhance its governing capacity along with the progress of the times.

The Internet advocates and advances freedom, but absolute freedom does not exist in the cyber world. The freedom on the Internet is also subject to laws and morality. Expressing opinions and making transactions online should observe laws and regulations, follow social morality and assume social obligations, which is the "bottom line."

Therefore, managing the Internet requires not only the roles played by the government, but also the participation of Internet users and the support of people from all walks of life. Every word or behavior within the typical public space of the Internet can possibly enter into the eyes of millions of people. An online rumor can possibly result in a panic.

Every careless duplication and transmission of a work can possibly cause a serious copyright infringement. Internet users should be cautious about their words and behaviors on the Internet and observe rules in the virtual world as they do in the real world. The freedom and rights for the majority of people can only be safeguarded through the joint efforts by Internet administrators and users.

Following less than 20 years of development in the Internet sector, China has become world's No.1 in terms of the number of both Internet users and country code top-level domains. Such a development speed is both the achievement of online "administrators" and the challenges facing the online "administrators."

The government cannot actually lay the foundation for the establishment of an "online utopia" unless it continuously adapts to new developments of the Internet and performs its duty as an online "administrator."