The Beijing Government has ordered 2,400 internet cafes in
China’s capital to close following a fire on Sunday in an
unlicensed café that killed 24 people and injured 13 others. Only
200 will be allowed to re-open, cutting off web access to many of
the city’s users.
Associated Press reports that a Beijing city official said the
closures were motivated only by safety concerns, not censorship.
However, China recently launched a crackdown on internet cafés
because many are offering access to material which is illegal in
the country, including pornography and the web sites of foreign
newspapers. Compared to the West, few residents of China can afford
home PCs, making internet cafés more popular.
Internet cafés in China are required to monitor activity and
report attempts to access “subversive” web sites. Thousands of
cafés have already been closed for failing to comply.
