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China has threatened Google with unspecified punishment if it does not remove all pornographic results from the Chinese version of its search engine.  The government had already disabled the Google Suggests feature, which makes search suggestions based on keywords, because it says the feature was returning mostly pornographic results.  China has also allegedly disabled the Chinese version of Google from searching overseas websites.

Google released a statement saying it was making greater efforts to clean up its Chinese Web site.  “We have been continually working to deal with pornographic content, and material that is harmful to children, on the Web in China,” the statement said.

This is just the latest attempt by China to control the Internet in its country.  It has already incited outrage over its plan to force PC makers to install web monitoring software on all PCs sold in the country.  Dell and others have said they will refuse to do so.  The software, called Green Dam-Youth Escort has raised fears that it will be used to block any website the government decides is unacceptable, despite the promise that it will only be used to block pornography.  China already blocks websites that discuss the Dalai Lama, the Tiananmen Square protesters, and the Falun Gong.

We should all stop and give thanks that we live in a country that does not take it upon itself to decide what we can read, listen to, watch, or view.  I think far too many of us take that important fact for granted.

Read: [PCWorld]