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.18 Jun 2002
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.