Cyber cafes where young people including children can surf the Internet for free under the guidance of their guardians or teachers have appeared in major cities across China.
The bars are a major part of a trial project approved by the Ministry of Culture, which aims to promote nationwide net monitoring and filtering of illegal and pornographic content by way of a chain operation.
The Beijing-based Asia United Telecommunication Network Group Co., Ltd., the company responsible for the trial project, will carry out a special project to unite the surfing interfaces, management standards and service systems, and avoid illegal content through monitoring.
In recent years, the Chinese government has been making efforts to enhance the management of cyber cafes in order to prevent potential safety risks and to protect children from pornography on the Internet.
(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2003)