China’s communist government to crack down on online religious content after Olympics; FBI advises not to use personal electronic devices during Games

BEIJING (BP and local reports) –China is set to impose new restrictions on online religious content just days after the upcoming Olympics Games in Bejing conclude, according to Christian persecution watchdog China Aid.

In addition, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning American participants and spectators at the Bejing Olympics not to travel with or use their electronic devices during their stay in the communist country.

The new Chinese law, Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information, takes effect March 1 as China enters the fourth year of its five-year plan to sinicize Christianity, said Bob Fu, founder and president of China Aid, in the Jan. 31 issue of the Bob Fu Report.

“If you post any religious-related content on the Internet without a license, it’s declared totally illegal,” Fu said.

Christian house churches are excluded from applying for licenses, but worship songs and Sunday School discipleship material are among restricted content with sermons and other messages to be examined for compatibility with communist dogma. Even tithing is criminalized, Fu said.

“It is illegal for those who are under 18 years old receive any religious education in any form online,” Fu said. Materials eligible to be submitted to the officially atheist government for approval are limited to sinicized content from five religions the Chinese Communist Party recognizes, namely the “Three-Self Church” brand of Protestantism, Catholicism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Islam, Fu said.

Meanwhile, the FBI is cautioning that all electronic devices brought into the country during the Olympics face the potential risk of compromise.

“The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cell phones at home and use a temporary phone while at the Games. The national Olympic committees in some Western countries are also advising their athletes to leave personal devices at home or use temporary phones due to cybersecurity concerns at the Games,” the agency said in a publicly-released notice.

The FBI currently has over 2,000 active investigations into alleged efforts by elements of the Chinese government to steal American information and technology, said FBI director Christopher Wray in a Jan. 31 speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.