Published by: World Tibet Network News ISSUE ID: 98/01/01

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer -- Daily News

Date: December 31, 1997

China clamped sweeping new controls on the Internet yesterday, warning that the network was being used to leak state secrets and to spread "harmful information."

The regulations cover a wide range of crimes, including political subversion and the spread of pornography and violence, and are designed to protect against computer hacking, viruses and other computer-related crime.

They call for unspecified "criminal punishments" and fines of up to 15,000 yuan ($1,800) for Internet providers and users who violate the rules.

One article says the Internet must not be used to "split the country," a clear reference to separatist movements in Tibet and the Moslem region of Xinjiang.