The impact of technology on society, economics, business practices and corporate culture has been profound. I state the obvious. While technology is not going to bring peace to the Middle East, ignite tech spending, or replace the dreadful stream of television programming, it has broken through borders and enabled new, powerful forms of communication. But it also has spawned some very bizarre and repressive government policies.

The sage Greek parliament gets an award for passing the most absurd technology-related legislation. The recently enacted Greek Law 3037/2002 bans the use of any form of game software. That means running games on computers, video consoles, PDAs and even cellular phones is illegal.

If you are caught playing Tetris on your phone, you could be fined anywhere from $5,000 to $75,000 and spend up to a year in prison. And, Law 3037 doesn't confine itself to public use only; it also explicitly bans the use electronic games in private places.

Apparently, the legislators couldn't tell the difference between a machine used for gaming and one that enables gambling, so they just banned all electronic games.

The Greek parliament was clearly ignorant about the use of technology and the pervasiveness of game software. Perhaps they thought they could kill two birds with one stone: combat illegal gambling and deter kids from spending time playing computer and video games. Instead, they created a Greek comedy. It's not as if gambling were a new concept in Greece. The ancient Greeks were quite fond of betting games with dice. Today, gambling is big business for the Greek government, which has ownership stakes in several legal, upscale casinos.

The existence of 3037 is even more absurd when you consider what the Prime Minister of Greece, Costas Simitis, has said about technology: "We are living at a time where all around us is changing rapidly. Information and communication technologies are transforming the way we work, play, learn, do business and communicate. They create, on a global scale, a new information society and open up new opportunities for development, prosperity and quality of life. The participation of Greece, as an equal, in the emerging information society is a major priority for the government."

There is obviously a disconnect between the prime minister's priority and Law 3037. Rather than banning all forms of electronic gaming, the Greek parliament would be better off handing out pamphlets on Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics to curb the appetite of citizens who crave the big score. With the summer Olympics coming to Athens in 2004, it would be prudent to repeal that law as soon as possible, unless the prime minister wants to deal with millions of irate visitors. After all, the Olympics is a big festival of international gaming, and what's gaming without wagering a few dollars or drachmas online?

China vs. Google
The government of China doesn't seem to care about Game Boys and gambling, mostly because it employs a more insidious form of censure. Officials have put in place policies and technology to block sites that are deemed offensive or politically incorrect by the government.

This week, the Chinese government blocked users from getting to Google's search engine site. It's likely that one reason Google was banned is because the first page of results for a search on Chinese President Jiang Zemin includes a link to a Falun Gong site, which is banned in China. Searching on the Chinese version of Yahoo does not include any offending links to Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual movement, or other banned content.

In order to do business in China, Yahoo and many other Internet content and service providers have agreed to the Chinese government's industry code of conduct, purging content that violates Article 5 of the "Computer Information Network and Internet Security, Protection and Management Regulations," issued by the Ministry of Public Security.

Banned content includes anything that threatens the government or socialist system, the spreading of rumors and of promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, or gambling.

Everyone has their own definition of what is appropriate content for various user groups, from children and adults. The same goes for different settings and geographies. Many corporations block music downloading and porn sites, for example, to keep people from getting distracted or filling up network bandwidth with non-business data.

But imagine if your company decided as a policy to block access to Google or Yahoo. It's one thing to filter out generally agreed upon offending material to minors, or to deter unwanted music downloading at the workplace, but it's quite another to block access to search portals. For an Internet user, it's like being deprived of oxygen.

While only a small percentage of the Chinese population is connected, Internet usage is growing rapidly. Today, China has more than 45 million Internet users, which is about 7 percent of global Internet traffic, according to research firm WebSideStory. Only the U.S., with 42 percent of global Internet traffic, has more Internet usage.

Ultimately, there is no Great Wall of China to block out the Internet. It's about technology and freedom of information, not bricks and blocking invading Xiongnu tribes from the north or opposing points of view.

What do you think? TalkBack below or e-mail me at dan.farber@cnet.com.