The Chinese government is working hard to ensure that they censor a number of types of sites on the Internet.  Although their biggest attack has been against pornographic sites, online gambling is also high up on their list of sites they wish to ban.

As of this month, all new computers sold in China come with Green Dam blocking software, which filters out websites showing pornography, online gambling, and a number of politically connected sites that the Chinese government does not approve of.

In an interesting move, the US government has accused China of not complying with World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations and guidelines.  While there seems to be no doubt that these accusations against the Chinese government are true, similar accusations have been leveled at the United States by Antigua and the European Union over the past few months.

The accusations against the US have surfaced after the introduction of the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) was introduced into law.  The UIGEA has imposed censorship on Internet gambling, which has arguably affected the personal rights and liberties of United States citizens.

A letter sent to the Chinese government by Gary Locke, the Commerce Secretary, and Ron Kirk, the US Trade Representative notes that there are concerns about the wide scope of the measure to ban Internet sites.¬† A spokesman from the US government said that the letter covered issues regarding “the censorship implications, trade impact and security flaws which create serious problems for the IT [information technology] industry and Chinese consumers.”