China’s Green Dam Youth Escort Internet filter has been delayed due to manufacturers needing more time.  Sony, however, not only has started to ship computers with the Green Dam already installed, they did it early as the deadline was not until Wednesday.  The Green Dam has been accused of using stolen code and has serious security flaws.

While Chinese officials have claimed that the filter will help to prevent children from viewing porn or violence, it has been met with wide disapproval within China.  It has been reported before that there is very little in the way of porn filtering and more of silencing political dissent.

Chinese internet users already endure one of the most heavily-censored and politically-controlled internets in the world, our correspondent says, and were furious about this additional control.

Foreign governments have complained that the new software could break trade rules, and concerns have been raised about its effectiveness and safety.

Chinese citizens will still manage to get around the security protocols, however, additional controls will require additional time to figure out how to get past the new Green Dam filter.

Tests carried out on Green Dam outside China indicated that it left personal computers open to many different security risks, including virus attacks.

It’s not surprising that the Chinese government wants more control over its citizens, however, it is curious why the Chinese government approved a system that allows a hacker to take control of the computers running the software.  In a shrewd move, Sony did not ship their computers with the software installed.  They merely placed the executable on the hard drive to comply with the Chinese government.

It was also reported that the group “Anonymous” threatened to attack the program tomorrow if it was implemented and that the Chinese government might possibly be afraid of such an attack.