They will walk, bike or drive across the screen every half hour, and with each passing, warn surfers to avoid internet content deemed illegal by China's government. The animated cartoon police offers will begin on China's top portals before moving to all sites registered with Beijing servers. It's a cute scare tactic to remind everyone that the Chinese government is doing everything they can to monitor the private lives of their citizens and that their access to uncensored information is limited.
"China stringently polices the Internet for material and content that the ruling Communist Party finds politically or morally threatening," Yahoo News reported. "Despite the controls, nudity, profanity, illegal gambling and pirated music, books and film have proliferated on Chinese Internet servers. The male and female cartoon officers, designed for the ministry by Sohu, will offer a text warning to surfers to abide by the law and tips on Internet security as they move across the screen in a virtual car, motorcycle or on foot, it said."
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Virtual Law Enforcement
- The development of virtual law enforcement solutions as a response to increased governmental monitoring represents an opportunity for businesses to innovate in the tech sector.
- Censorship Prevention
- Companies that develop tools for preventing censorship can disrupt the status quo in countries where government censorship is present.
- Education Technology
- Opportunities exist to educate people in countries with heavy internet censorship on how to surf the web outside their countries or avoid government monitoring.
Sectors Adopting This
- Tech
- Hardware and software companies that can help consumers and businesses protect their internet privacy can capitalize on this trend.
- Startup
- Startups that develop innovative solutions to evade censorship could disrupt the market in countries with government monitoring.
- Education
- Education tech companies that provide online courses or certifications on data privacy and internet security can help empower users who live in countries with restrictive internet policies.
