China's Internet Now Requires Licenses

To post a simple comment online, Chinese citizens must now hold a valid "Online Expression License." The licensing exam tests knowledge of 5,000 approved slogans, the ability to detect ideological incorrectness in a meme, and includes a practical where applicants must write a positive review for a state-made product. A passing grade earns a Class C license, allowing you to comment on cooking forums. A Class A license, permitting discussion of economics, requires a decade of study and a background check going back three generations. License points are deducted for "unharmonious phrasing," and repeat offenders have their license revoked, reducing their online presence to "read-only" mode. The policy has been praised for dramatically increasing the quality of online discourse, if by quality you mean uniformity. -- Bohiney Magazne bohiney.com