No need to worry, it's not some kind of backroom putsch. This is, in fact, a peaceful transition of power. I've very much enjoyed watching the China technology scene for CNET Asia over the past year. One thing for sure: There is always something interesting going on. But today marks the close of a year's worth of Little Red Blog, and I thought it was time to hand over the rostrum to a new chairman.Read more »

I bet you didn't think it was possible.

Check out this interesting post from Danwei on how one intrepid Chinese Internet user is actually suing the mighty China Telecom since his Web site, hosted in the US, got caught up in the Net nanny's ever-widening skirts. Don't miss the plaintiff's English language blog post urging people to show up for the (postponed) court hearing.

Now, if you think this is all about political censorship, cool off. This is a much more prosaic situation. The plaintiff's business Web site is hosted in the US and now he can no longer reach it.

Still, blocked is blocked.

Last year the Ministry of Information Industry, China's technology and Internet regulator, announced that it would implement a rule requiring all bloggers to register their real names. Last week MII changed its mind, apparently in response to lobbying from the technology industry. Now the question is, will the new decision stick?Read more »

My wife spent last week rebuilding her computer's software from the ground up, starting with a drive reformatting and complete OS reinstall. Her troubles started soon after we connected to the DSL network in Shanghai.Read more »

My CNET Asia blogging colleague, Doug Crets, is too modest to blow his own horn. So I'll blow it for him. Go check out his article on the ethical woes of "American Internet companies in China" in the Asia Sentinal. Doug doesn't pull his punches:

Tech giants operating in China don't stress the ethical principles they follow in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States and Europe. Lured by the massive, rapidly expanding market, the Chinese Government can take advantage of companies' desire for profit to compel obedience and use the technology to disenfranchise users. Far from opening up the Internet in China, the actions of Google and others have been a disheartening case of Western companies getting in line with the restrictive practices imposed by the Chinese state on their own large--and dominant--Internet players, like Baidu, the leading search engine.

The article also includes comments from always thoughtful Rebecca MacKinnon. Check it out.