(Clearwisdom.net) This summer, the Xi'an Municipal Police Department has stipulated that each computer in every Internet cafe must be installed with "alarm-the-police" software. For each computer with this software, the Internet cafe must pay a 55 Yuan RMB "license fee." This software requires anyone who accesses the Internet to first input identification information from eight different documents such as, the identification card, passport and so on. The police department intends to construct a large-scale personal information database. Whenever someone tries to access a so-called "retroactive" website, a window will immediately pop up on the screen displaying: "The Xi'an Electronic Police [the name of the software] sends you a warning! You are accessing an illegal website!" After three consecutive warnings, the police department will receive an alarm message and can make an arrest based on this.

According to the installation personnel from the computer company, the order for this motion was issued by the national public security ministry to the police department and police station of each province and city. Each province or city may independently customize a version.

The installment of this software is mandatory, requires a "license fee," and infringes on the individual's privacy; plus, after the installation, the computers' speed drops drastically, they repeatedly break down and their performance is unstable. For these reasons, the complaints from the Internet cafes are heard everywhere. In the meantime, the Internet cafes feel that it is completely ridiculous to make such a big fuss, not to mention a waste of manpower and money. They think that it has no effect other than self-consolation, since most people access the Internet using fake ID cards, and Internet cafes also provide help for the users.

This kind of action blatantly tramples human rights, blocks the channel of truth dissemination, and deceives people. At the same time, it also encourages society to employ trickery.

September 20, 2001