US and China lock horns over net filter

US trade officials have called on China to scrap its controversial plans to put net-filtering software on all its computers, saying that to do so would violate its free trade obligations. China has demanded that all computers sold in the country come supplied with software called Green Dam from July 1, saying that the scheme will protect its young net-users, who make up the worldÔÇÖs largest online population. However, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said that if it goes ahead with the plans, China may be violating World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations.  The objections, sent in joint letters to ChinaÔÇÖs Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Commerce, also follow a complaint made by the US to the WTO over Chinese raw material exports and appears to mark the latest concern in an ongoing litany of concerns raised by the US about Chinese trade practices. Locke said that China is putting manufacturers ÔÇ£in an untenable positionÔÇØ by requiring them to pre-install the software with virtually no notice, which could violate its free trade obligations, and also pointed out that Green Dam has broader censorship and security issues.  Concerns have previously been raised outside of China that the software is technically flawed and leaves computers open to security risks such as hijack. Researchers at the University of Michigan said Green Dam contained vulnerabilities that could allow outside parties to remotely take control of computers that use the software. Before raising its formal complaint, US embassy officials met Chinese authorities last week to raise their concerns over the issue; however, Chinese state media said on Tuesday that it would not back down.  Meanwhile, petitions to scrap Green Dam have been circulating across China. *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *