Stupid Government Watch II: China Getting Tough on “Spam”

China is reportedly getting ready to take a hard-line approach to spammers, according to the Nanfang Daily.

Thing is, this is a country that has defined spam as: “All e-mail spreading junk information, rumors, erotic content, fraud or viruses, as well as unsolicited marketing material,” according to the English version of People’s Daily Online.

Here is a blurb translated into English announcing the news:

“Ministry of Information Industry, Internet Society of China, and China Communications Standards Association launched a national anti-spam campaign on June 21, reports Nanfang Daily. An insider at ISC said MII has set up a hotline for spam-related tip-offs and is preparing to send out one million anti-spam notices. The report said that professional training will be offered for 1,000 e-mail administrators and that 20,000 anti-spam volunteers will be recruited.”

Add it up and we have 21,000 anti-spam narcs, all ready to point the finger at people spreading “junk information and rumors,” among other things. Can you say, “spam is anything the government doesn’t like?” Yaaay, China.