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"If you're an Internet user in China, life just got a little bit harder. The Chinese government on Friday announced new rules allowing it to delete posts deemed illegal and requiring Internet Service Providers to give users' information to law enforcement if they violate already established Internet rules.\nChina's government also made it more difficult for Internet users in the country to access the Internet anonymously, adding new enforcement options against those who violate previously passed laws requiring Internet users to identify themselves to service providers, according to Reuters.\nChina has become notorious for monitoring the Internet activity of citizens and blocking sensitive content, including politically embarrassing news stories. \nStill, 538 million Chinese use the Internet \u2014 a penetration rate of nearly 40% and the highest in the world. And as in other parts of the world with censored or monitored Internet access, many Chinese make use of a proxy or other technology to help them access the open web. \nChinese social media users have also used the web to organize dissent and protests, as recently seen during much the Arab Spring movement throughout the Middle East.\nSEE ALSO: China: The World's Largest Online Population\n\nHowever, the government employs a great deal of censors to monitor web traffic and social media posts, and relies on technologists to help plug any leaks in the so-called Great Firewall of China. Some foreign sites, including the New York Times, have been banned outright. Google's services are often blocked, especially during politically sensitive occasions.\nThe government's Internet chief has also recently called for \"more research on how to strengthen the construction, operation and management of the Internet and promote mainstream online themes\" \u2014 language which can be read as a notice that official efforts to monitor and control web access are sure to continue.\nShould Internet users in China be allowed to access the web without government interference? Share your thoughts in the comments.\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, Fazon1"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/12/28/internet-anonymous-china/>