3 replies to this topic

[tsutton]

China mobile users face jail for sexy texts

China is cracking down on erotic text messages being sent via the mobile phone network. Three erotic text messages will land you in jail for 10 (ten) days while more messages will result in more jail time and a fine.

AFP said:

Mobile phone users in central China could face jail for sending unwanted erotic text messages while in the north, one local Communist Party branch has held 480 meetings on the problem in the past month.

Henan province has announced that firing off just one such message could see the sender slapped in detention for up to five days, the China Daily reported on Tuesday.

Three messages could result in 10 days behind bars and a fine of 500 yuan (73 dollars), the English-language newspaper reported.

The province's legal office announced the new penalties to address the growing problem of unwanted and inappropriate text messages in a country with more than 600 million mobile phone users, it said.

I guess their mobile network are heavily monitored just like their internet access. I wonder if they will find a way round to this?

[Via: AFP]

[Mysterious Stranger]

The key word in the quoted passage is 'unwanted'. Although communications are routinely monitored  (got a few friends living over there) it's not quite so bad as the western media likes to portray. And how are they to know it's unwanted unless they receive a complaint with the text?

If someone in the UK sent unwanted 'sexy' texts they could be prosecuted and imprisioned too under existing legislation - if people actually did something about it. It's just that the Chinese are taking it a bit more seriously and classing them as sexual harrasment. Hardly 'big brother is watching' - they need a complainant first.

M.S

[tsutton]

The question is - how do you define unwanted?

If I sent you some text *wink wink* as a friend, would you find it as unwanted or acceptable?

[Mysterious Stranger]

tsutton, on Aug 12 2009, 16:13, said:

The question is - how do you define unwanted?

If I sent you some text *wink wink* as a friend, would you find it as unwanted or acceptable?

No, it's fairly plain that if a text it offensive enough for you to complain to the police about it it's unwanted - and that's when the Chinese authorities will punish you. The amount of mobile users ( and texts) sent over there make it fairly impossible to monitor them all unless your being specificaly targeted. My friends say that in their chinese sims they receive 40 or 50 random number generated advert type texts *every day* - so many that they have had the feature turned off as they can arrive at any time.

I think your taking the article the wrong way - someone has to receive the text, and inform the authorities it's unwanted and 'sexy', who then take it further with a potential prison sentence. The article does not say they are actively filtering and monitoring messages - if they could do that, they'd simply stop them being delivered instead as that would be easier to implement based on keywords. The recepient has to complain first for anything to happen.

M.S