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Government Sets New Surveillance Rules to ISPs [CND, 01/18/02] China's Ministry of Information and Technology has recently issued new rules to Internet service providers (ISPs) in certain sectors, requiring them to keep detailed records on user's online activities, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday. Under the new regulations, all ISPs offering services in "sensitive and strategic sectors", like news and bulletin board services and online forums must maintain detailed user information, including account numbers, addresses and telephone numbers, as well as viewing times. They are also required to install software to screen and copy e-mails containing "sensitive material", and to terminate a transmission as soon as obscene material or "subversive" information is detected. News sites can only publish news reports from domestic media sources. Information on illegal activities of their users must be turned to the Ministry of Information and Technology, the Ministry of Public Security and the Bureau for the Protection of State Secrets. Meanwhile, ISPs are required to take all necessary precautions to protect users' accounts and passwords, and to install back-up equipment and software to deal with system crashes. Software makers are prohibited to put hidden programs in their software. Furthermore, software suppliers from overseas must state in contracts that their software sold to the government contains no hidden programs. They are not allowed to log on the network management systems from outside without proper authorizations. Under the new rules, key and higher-level network management systems must use domestic software. (LIU Weijun)