Walter Hutchens’ Blog

If I was writing this blog in China, I’d have to make a filing with the government. A number of Western media outlets have recently reported on PRC rules to this effect. The New York Times story is here. The Washington Post report is here. China Digital News links to the Times story and some related articles here.

Reporters without Borders reacts to the rules here.

The website of China’s Ministry of the Information Industry has an article in Chinese, referenced by CDN, titled “Quick, Get an I.D. for your Website.” The actual MII rules, in Chinese, are here.

Of note, these rules call for “bei an” or “filing for the record.” While a registration requirement obviously creates a way for the PRC government to find and punish bloggers who run afoul of political restrictions, “bei an” is among the least invasive requirements in the PRC regulatory arsenal. Filing for the record is less burdensome than requiring prior approval (pizhun) to establish a web site or requiring that every post be approved in advance.

When I began blogging two years ago, China was already blocking blogspot and some other sites.