Internet Society of China

The Internet Society of China (ISC) is a Chinese non-governmental organization made up of 140 members of the Chinese Internet industry including private companies, schools and research institutes.[1] It is supported by Chinese government authorities such as the Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of Education and the State Council Information Office. It describes itself as “the country’s first non-governmental regulator for the internet industry.”

ISC has been described as a "quasi-governmental" organization.[2]

History and regulation

The ISC issues what the Chinese government calls “self-disciplinary regulations,” including the Public Pledge on Self-Discipline for the Chinese Internet Industry, which has been signed by thousands of organizations operating websites in China, including Baidu, Soseen, Yahoo, Microsoft and Google. In signing the agreement, companies pledge to identify and prevent the transmission of any information that Chinese authorities deem objectionable, including information that “breaks laws or spreads superstition or obscenity,” or that “may jeopardize state security and disrupt social stability.” [3][4][5]

The ISC is unrelated to the international non-profit Internet Society.

References
  1. Associated Press (15 July 2002). "China Sites Pledge to Be Nice". Wired magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  2. Rebecca MacKinnon (31 January 2012). Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle For Internet Freedom. Basic Books. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-465-02442-1. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  3. Einhorn and Ben Elgin, Bruce (23 January 2006). "The Great Firewall Of China". Business Week magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  4. Kine, Phelim (27 May 2010). "China's Internet Crackdown". Forbes. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  5. Alfred, Hermida (3 September 2002). "Behind China's internet Red Firewall". BBC. Retrieved 11 December 2011.


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