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China Surpasses US in Internet Population
Techtree News Staff, Apr 24, 2008 1936 hrs ISTChina surpassing the US in terms of Internet users is not really a surprise as this was predicted by various agencies since January this year.
The country with the highest population in the world has now surpassed USA to qualify as the largest Internet-using population as well. By the end of February 2008, China reportedly saw 221 million Internet users.
In China, where everything goes through the government scanner, the Internet is no exception. There are elaborate systems of filters and tens of thousands of human monitors to check surfing habits, surgically clipping sensitive content and opening clinics for Internet addicts.
Despite all efforts made by the government to block access to content considered subversive or pornographic, the country's Internet population has increased to 221 million, which is more than a 61 percent increase over the 137 million Internet users at the beginning of 2007. China surpassing the US in terms of Internet users is not really a surprise as this was predicted by various agencies since January 2007. Back then, the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC), a state-controlled agency, had predicted that it would take two years at the most for China to overtake the US.
A year after, in January 2008, it became evident that China's Internet population is on track to surpass that of the US. The Chinese government announced that the country's Internet population has risen to nearly 210 million, growing 53 percent from the 137 million reported about the same time the previous year.
However, though the Internet population is rapidly increasing, the proportion of Internet users among the total Chinese population is still lower than the global average, says a Reuters report.
In China, where everything goes through the government scanner, the Internet is no exception. There are elaborate systems of filters and tens of thousands of human monitors to check surfing habits, surgically clipping sensitive content and opening clinics for Internet addicts.
Despite all efforts made by the government to block access to content considered subversive or pornographic, the country's Internet population has increased to 221 million, which is more than a 61 percent increase over the 137 million Internet users at the beginning of 2007. China surpassing the US in terms of Internet users is not really a surprise as this was predicted by various agencies since January 2007. Back then, the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC), a state-controlled agency, had predicted that it would take two years at the most for China to overtake the US.
A year after, in January 2008, it became evident that China's Internet population is on track to surpass that of the US. The Chinese government announced that the country's Internet population has risen to nearly 210 million, growing 53 percent from the 137 million reported about the same time the previous year.
However, though the Internet population is rapidly increasing, the proportion of Internet users among the total Chinese population is still lower than the global average, says a Reuters report.
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vijayshimla
,Shimla 171001, on Apr 24, 2008 08:40 PM
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