NYT: Despite an Act of Leniency, China Has Its Eye on the Web

While China seemed to bend by suspending the very long prison term of a democracy advocate for writing about free elections, the single-party state continues to build up a large force of Internet snoops and investigators, numbering as many as 30,000. A website established by the state allows for online snitching against fellow netizens. Privacy and freedom advocates in China warn that the high profile generosity of the judge's decision hides an increasingly intolerant attitude toward free expression online.

Average Chinese often surf unaware of the limitations placed on them, with proxy servers barring access to certain sites, redirecting links or misinforming visitors that the page has been taken down. New regulations in Shanghai - thought to be a harbinger of policies to come elsewhere in China - force Internet cafe users to log-in with magnetic swipe cards that keep track of their proven identities and match those with their surfing behavior.