China will delay the mandatory installation of the controversial"Green Dam-Youth Escort" filtering software on new computers, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in Beijing Tuesday.

The pre-installation was delayed as some computer producers said such massive installation demanded extra time, said the ministry.

All computers produced or sold in China were scheduled to be installed with such software after July 1, according to MIIT's previous announcement.

The ministry would continue to provide a free download of the software and equip school and Internet bar computers with it after July 1, said a spokesman with MIIT.

The ministry would also keep on soliciting opinions to perfect the pre-installation plan, he said.

The software is designed to block violence and pornographic contents on the Internet to protect minors. It could also help parents control how much time their children spent online.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2009)