PSB Crackdown on Beijing Cafe Wi-Fi

Tom O’Malley | Jul 25, 2011 4:00 pm | 12 comments | 6269 reads

Café-goers attempting to surf the net at one of Wudaoying Hutong’s many venues might be out of luck following new measures by the local PSB to better keep track of internet users. The new PSB ruling apparently states that public venues on Wudaoying Hutong offering Wi-Fi are obliged to install a piece of software designed to keep track of the identities of internet users. Similar systems are already installed in chains like Starbucks and Costa Coffee.

The downside for many café owners is the prohibitive cost of the software, starting at RMB 20,000. Venues have been told they are liable for a fine if they continue to offer unregulated Wi-Fi. The amount? RMB 20,000, coincidentally. The Vineyard Café has already deactivated their Wi-Fi service, and has pinned a note on the wall apologizing to customers.

A call earlier to one of the biggest cafes on the street, L’infusion, confirmed that they too have deactivated their internet service, and they also stated that they thought other cafes in the wider Andingmen area nearby were also affected. They did not say whether they intended to pay for the service in the future.

This blog was filed successfully from Café Zarah about a mile from Wudaoying Hutong on Gulou Dongdajie, where the internet is ticking over merrily. The boss wasn’t available for comment on whether they had heard anything from their local PSB. Café Alba, a little further west along Gulou, also has functioning Wi-Fi and seemed unaware of any wider plans. The owner of The Box on Jiugulou Dajie, also with free Wi-Fi, had not heard of the news.

Could Wudaoying Hutong be a pilot street for a new scheme to be rolled out city-wide? If so, the implications for smaller venues that rely on the provision of Wi-Fi would seem severe. Or it could be that Wudaoying venues are victims of an opportunistic money-making scheme under an official guise. Whatever the case, stay tuned to TheBeijinger.com for further info.

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Jerry's picture Jerry Submitted by Guest on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 10:43

Global Times: Nanluoguxiang bars log off free Wi-Fi

http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/669860/Nanluoguxiang-bars-log-off-free-Wi-Fi.aspx

Jerry Chan, Digital Marketing & Content Strategy Director

Jerry's picture Jerry Submitted by Guest on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 13:02

Quote:
Controls that are transparent, as registration required, are for the general good of the people and their safety. At least we do not have such terrible body checks, etc. here.

True indeed - instead, we have "Security Theater" checks in the subway that would do little good to prevent an actual attack. I'd feel much better if they just went ahead and installed working scanners that could actually detect dangerous items instead of what's in place now.

You're right in pointing out that Internet privacy is a problem worldwide, but even if the goals of this operation are just as you suggest, the timing and the all-too-typical ambiguity of this announcement aren't exactly helping alleviate public suspicions.

The key word here is "transparent" - stopping potential terrorists and spammers are all well and good (although, I doubt that would-be terrorists are drinking RMB 50 cups of latte at trendy hutong cafes), but who's to say this surveillance won't be extended to achieve other things? (i.e. monitoring who is saying what online).

And what, pray tell, is "fair" about requiring business owners to foot the bill for these devices?

Speaking of transparency, those TSA Body Scans (and other ill-advised "Patriot Act" policies) have indeed caused quite a lot of grumbling in the US, and the TSA is reportedly introducing "less invasive technology" in response. We'll see how this pans out, but these are two sides of the same coin.

Jerry Chan, Digital Marketing & Content Strategy Director

walkingtreewoman's picture walkingtreewoman Submitted by Guest on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 11:03

As inconvenient as it may be to most foreigners, who constantly complain about most things in Beijing and China, the differences being not the same as in the West, this may be indeed a fair thing to do. In Western countries, perhaps there should be more tracking and is, unbeknownst to the users of the Internet, like in the US. Most people do not care about the tracking devices as they are not doing anything that would cause an alarm anyways. There are those abroad who use the Internet to incite insurrection and disharmony in China, as in the Mideast and other countries recently. It is a minor inconvenience when one thinks that things like this do not happen here that often and that one can live feeling safe from such terrorists and insurectionists. They do exist in all countries, but China normally finds them quickly and quells the problem. Controls that are transparent, as registration required, are for the general good of the people and their safety. At least we do not have such terrible body checks, etc. here.

Thank you.

My hopes for peace and love for all in this troubled world.

Jerry's picture Jerry Submitted by Guest on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 17:11

Some updates in the Global Times:

Quote:
The company that designed Dongcheng district's Wi-Fi monitoring software may not be authorized to offer their product in the Chinese mainland ...

And more on this in this post:

China Expands Internet Surveillance to Beijing Businesses

With this quote:

Quote:
Chinese officials have stated that the new measures are intended to target users who "conduct blackmail, traffic goods, gamble, propagate damaging information and spread computer viruses."

Jerry Chan, Digital Marketing & Content Strategy Director

Jerry's picture Jerry Submitted by Guest on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 12:28

Quote:
we shall all open our private wireless routers now! let's see what they come up with next...

My guess would be a complete ban on wi-fi routers...

Jerry Chan, Digital Marketing & Content Strategy Director

Aier2's picture Aier2 Submitted by Guest on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 10:20

Not that I've been to that area lately but no Wi-fi would definitely stop me from going to one of those cafes.

Poor buggers.
20K rmb?

What kind of ID tracking software costs 20kRMB each?
What a joke.

Just another way to milk money and fuck people at the same time.

Jerry's picture Jerry Submitted by Guest on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 09:58

A follow-up report on the New York Times: As China Steps Up Web Monitoring, Many Wi-Fi Users Stay Away

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/world/asia/26china.html

Jerry Chan, Digital Marketing & Content Strategy Director

coffeeandtv09's picture coffeeandtv09 Submitted by Guest on Tue, 07/26/2011 - 00:52

Conspiracy theory alert: perhaps they are trying to make it inconvenient for people to access the Internet in general in the wake of Saturday's high-speed train crash in Wenzhou. Pictures and posts related to the incident have been widely circulated on Sina Weibo, many of them condemning the government for its role (or lack thereof) in the accident and the subsequent rescue efforts.

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