Ex-official who helped shape 'Great Firewall' arrested over graft
Ma Xiaodong detained by prosecutors in Shaanxi province for allegedly taking bribes
A former senior official who reportedly worked on internet censorship at the Ministry of Public Security has been arrested for suspected corruption.
Ma Xiaodong, the former deputy chief at the ministry’s science and technology information bureau, was detained on suspicion of taking bribes, a statement issued by prosecutors in Shaanxi province said. No other details were given about the allegations.
The People’s Public Security newspaper published an article in 2010 featuring an interview with Ma about the “Golden Shield Project”.
In 1998, the central government set up an emergency unit to protect national security related to the internet and later started the project, according to Sun Pishu, the chairman of IT firm Inspur Group.
“Golden Shield” went into operation in 2003, according to previous media reports, and one aspect later became known as the “Great Firewall”.
Last week, researchers at universities in Canada and the United States said Beijing had launched a programme that allowed censors to hijack internet traffic from overseas and direct it against any website that Beijing deemed unfriendly.