The incident highlighted anew the conflict faced by Chinese leaders, who are promoting the Web's economic benefits while trying to block its use in spreading opposition to Communist Party rule. He said authorities had not decided on a penalty for the company, which provides Web sites for private customers. Li said police asked who set up the site, but he had no details besides the customer's name, Xin Wenming. Government computer-monitoring offices in Beijing and the eastern province of Shandong, where Human Rights in China said the site organizers live, declined comment. Chinese officials monitor Web sites and try to block access to foreign news and politically oriented sites.
Many computer users say they have found ways to evade such barriers.
Last month, a Chinese computer entrepreneur was charged with subversion for posting articles on his Web site about the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. That site used a U.S.-based server. Security officials appear to be struggling to keep up with the proliferation of Chinese Web sites, often hosted by private service firms. The number of Chinese online is doubling every six months, and reached 14.9 million in June, according to the government. In addition, many online service firms don't monitor their customers closely, creating an opening for political activists.