The Chinese government has delayed the roll out of censorship
software that was supposed to have been installed on every computer
sold from tomorrow.
The plans prompted huge levels of online opposition by Chinese
citizens and foreign governments have criticised the proposals.
The Guardian reported that Xinhua, the state news agency,
reported the plans had been changed just four hours before the
software launch was due.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said, "China
will delay the mandatory installation of the 'Green Dam-Youth
Escort' filtering software on new computers." The software blocks
pornographic, violent and politically sensitive content.
Thousands of Chinese people had protested against the
censorship plan by signing up to proxy servers that bypass the
government's controls.
It is not yet clear whether the Chinese government will go ahead
with the plan at a later date, or when it will happen.