Tragedy could spark stiffer net laws

The weekend Internet cafe blaze could trigger a tightening of regulations across China

(CNN) -- Chinese authorities are poised to use the horrendous Internet café fire in Beijing as a pretext for more draconian steps against the nation's estimated 200,000 Web outlets.

Beijing media reported on Monday that because the high death toll of 24 had attracted international attention, top Communist party cadres were involved in devising ways and means to further control Internet cafes.

Security sources in the capital said apart from suspending Web cafes in the large cities for inspection, most of them will be closed down permanently.

Moreover, all of the nearly 30,000 applications to start Web cafes would be rejected.

The sources said the Politburo considered Web cafes a threat to national security because of the large amount of "false and dangerous information" spread by such outlets.

An article in the Monday edition of the official China News Service said net cafes had provided the venue for people to "use the Internet to engage in activities that are against the law and regulations."

The article said the cafes had engendered a particularly bad influence on youngsters.

In China, individuals, families, work places and Web cafes have to register with the authorities to get Internet service.

Practically all Chinese-language Web sites from Hong Kong and Taiwan are banned by the official service providers, all of whom are controlled by the police and other government departments.

Most foreign-language news Web sites are also proscribed.

Owners of domestic news Web sites have been ordered only to carry material provided by the official news agencies and newspapers.

However, a number of Internet cafes, particularly those in the cities, provide customers with proxies and other back-door channels that can enable them to access forbidden Web sites overseas.

'Destabilizing messages'

Even more worrying to the authorities is that the cafes provide the requisite anonymity for users to post anti-government or "de-stabilizing" messages on the Web forums and chat rooms.

While café owners must pay for and install police monitoring equipment that trace their computers, it is difficult to check the identity of users.

Internet divisions in police departments, which were set up two years ago, have already used different means to contain the perceived evil influence of net cafes.

For example, during sensitive periods such as the anniversary of the June 4 massacre, squads of plainclothes police patrol Web facilities in the cities.

Moreover, cafes are forbidden within 200 meters of primary and high schools, as well as government and party offices.

Wang Yuesheng, a legal Web café operator in Beijing, said difficulty in obtaining a license had driven many to skip the red tape and start underground outlets.

"Getting the license is very difficult, it requires four government departments' approval," Wang told Reuters.

After the fire in High-speed Blue Network in Beijing's college district early Sunday, which killed 24 students, police are looking for the owner of the illegal outlet.

It is understood security officials are planning major operations to close down on the rest of the nation's Internet facilities, whether legal or not.