Internet cafe users in China have long been subject to an extraordinary range of controls

Internet cafe users in China have long been subject to an extraordinary range of controls. They include cameras placed discreetly throughout the establishments to monitor and identify users and Web masters, and Internet cafe managers who keep an eye on user activity, whether electronically or by patrolling the premises. A Chinese court recently announced that a democracy advocate who had used the Internet and was charged with subversion would receive a suspended sentence instead of a long prison term. The case had drawn criticism from human rights groups and served as a rallying cry for this country's rapidly growing number of online commentators. Both in China and abroad, some commentators quickly applauded what seemed like an official show of leniency toward the accused man, Du Daobin, a prolific author of online essays on issues of democracy and free speech. But many among China's Internet commentators are warning that what appears to be government magnanimity in this high-profile case conceals a quiet but concerted push to tighten controls of the Internet and surveillance of its users. China's restrictions on the medium are already among the broadest and most invasive anywhere.