(25 August 2007 7:43 pm)

MUMBAI: Yahoo.cn and MSN.cn have signed an agreement under which the Chinese government will be able to censor and recognize bloggers.

The Internet Society of China, which falls under China’s Ministry of Information Industry made the pact public this week. It essentially "encourages" blog service providers to record contact information and register users under their real names before allowing them to post blogs.

The two internet giants alongwith 20 native blogging service providers like Sohu and Tom have agreed to a new "self-discipline pact".

Reacting to the report, Paris based media rights group Reporters Without Borders said, "This decision will have grave consequences for the Chinese blogosphere and marks the end of anonymous blogging. A new wave of censorship and repression seems imminent."

Under the agreement, the services providers have been ordered to delete "illegal and bad information in a timely manner" and to "protect the interests of the State and Party."

It is worthwhile to note that in the past, leading internet giants such as Yahoo, Google and several other internet companies have been criticized for giving in to the Chinese government’s demands to censor websites and content.

However, these companies assert that they must meet the terms of Chinese laws to continue operating there.