Source record: New York Times, Erik Eckholm, “Trial Will Test China’s Grip on the Internet,” November 16, 1998.
This press-coverage record documents the prosecution of Shanghai computer executive Lin Hai for supplying Chinese e-mail addresses to overseas publications and places VIP Reference at the center of the case. The article describes VIP Reference as a Washington-compiled electronic newsletter distributed at large scale inside mainland China and reports on state efforts to block websites, monitor e-mail and suppress dissident information.
Why this source matters
The article is independent contemporary evidence for VIP Reference’s circulation, the Lin Hai prosecution, and the late-1990s development of Internet censorship and information-control enforcement. It also quotes publisher Lian Shengde about distribution scale and strategy. P1 treats the newspaper article as press evidence, not as a substitute for the original VIP Reference issue files or government case records.
Archive provenance
A locally preserved HTML copy is retained in the P1 public source library. File size: 14,392 bytes. SHA-256: 26839d2de6980957d372cc0c99d966b2271de6cab14940b3fc1478bab750f71b. The preserved file identifies the headline, byline and November 16, 1998 publication date and contains New York Times archive assets. This record summarizes rather than republishes the article text.
Related records
VIP Reference Historical Archive · Great Firewall & Internet Persecution · Lian Shengde Media Archive