China names tough new Internet czar

Chinese President Xi Jinping has named Xu Lin to become the government’s new head Internet regulator,  succeeding Lu Wei.

Mr. Xu has  vowed to maintain the ruling Communist Party’s tight grip over cyberspace, which is overseen by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The Chinese government has long imposed  controls over the Internet, in part to stifle political dissent, and is codifying that policy in law. Officials assert that such restrictions are needed to ensure security in the face of such rising threats as terrorism. However, most of China’s crackdown seems directed against speech that, however carefully, criticizes the Communist dictatorship.

For the Reuters article on this, please hit this link.