The much-criticised programme’s use will be limited to computers in schools, internet cafes other public areas, lifting the initial edict that the programme be installed on home computers and by global manufacturers looking to sell their products in the market.
Green Dam was developed to thwart the proliferation of ‘undesirable’ content on the internet, specifically pornography, by using image-recognition technology .
But quickly after authorities issued the mandate, Green Dam garnered worldwide criticism - from free-speech activists to trade rights groups to the US Government - and from domestic users.
At the time of Green Dam’s launch, Chinese blogs reported glitches in the software. Ads featuring cartoon cat Garfield were blocked, as well as other peach-toned images, such as those of pigs and Hello Kitty. Yet Kane Gao, a public relations executive in China, said that when he used a computer with Green Dam installed, nude photos of African models were still accessible.
The inception of Green Dam comes during an especially active year in the Government’s attempts to digitally crack down on contraband material. In January, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued a revised list of websites accessing ‘vulgar’ content , and one month later, the Government targeted mobile porn .
The events preceded the blocking of social media sites ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square riots and the riots in Xinjiang province .
