Silicon.com: Major victory in war on spam

China's anti-spam effort

Silicon.com published a story, repeated by CNET, about China blocking several spam domains, interpreting it as a "major victory in the war on spam." But a careful reading of the information reveals that only eight Chinese sites have been blocked. The others are from outside China, indicating that these servers have not been blocked at all, but rather Chinese citizens have been blocked from getting emails from them. More interestingly, 90 of those servers are located in Taiwan, the break-away Chinese province where the great majority of democracy, separatist and religious freedom advocates reside and communicate. MarketingWonk inquiries have been made with the Internet Society of China, the organizing force behind the blockages.

If indeed the blockage turns out to be a genuine anti-spam effort, it does indicate the first time the Chinese government has taken action against the practice, even if only protecting its own citizens. According to anti-spam activists, about 100 of the world's worst spammers reside in the suburbs of Beijing. The Chinese government, unlike some American trade groups, such as the Direct Marketing Association, defines spam as unsolicited email.