The Paris-based group said that Chinese authorities had targeted Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and other ways that residents, including foreign reporters, used to circumvent controls on the Internet.

The group said that "government security paranoia" in the run-up to Thursday's anniversary was "turning into a major headache for Internet users and reporters."

It estimated that tens of thousands of web addresses had become inaccessible in recent days and said it was even more difficult to reach Facebook, Twitter and other social networking and blogging sites that were already blocked.

"The Electronic Great Wall has never been as consolidated as it is now, on the eve of the October 1 anniversary, proving that the Chinese government is not so sure of its record," the group said.

It said that authorities particularly clamped down on websites linked to ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Xinjiang in July saw China's deadliest ethnic unrest in decades that pitted the majority Uighur population against the nation's predominant Han ethnicity.

China's military plans a show of force on Thursday and is likely to parade its new intercontinental ballistic missiles as the Communist Party highlights the nation's transformation into a world power.

earlier related report
Microsoft releases free computer security software
Microsoft on Tuesday released free software that people can use to protect computers against viruses, spyware and other malicious codes in arsenals of cyber criminals.

Microsoft Security Essentials is available for download at microsoft.com/security_essentials and is built on technology that the global software giant uses in computer security programs it designs for businesses.

"With Microsoft Security Essentials, consumers can get high-quality protection that is easy to get and easy to use, and it won't get in their way," said Amy Barzdukas, general manager for consumer security at Microsoft.

"Consumers have told us that they want the protection of real-time security software but we know that too many are either unwilling or unable to pay for it, and so end up unprotected."

Microsoft hopes that the free software will be broadly adopted, particularly by those who have not been vigilant about protecting computers from hackers, and thereby "increase security across the entire Windows ecosystem."

More than 90 percent of the computers worldwide run on Windows operating systems made by the US technology firm.

"Microsoft is helping to reduce some of the barriers that constrain consumers from running (anti-virus software)," said IDC security analyst Jon Crotty. "Microsoft is focused on the challenges that prevent consumers from running up-to-date anti-virus software today, particularly in emerging markets where there is a growing prevalence of malware."

Security Essentials is designed to run behind the scenes, defending machines against infection by malicious computer codes.

The real-time nature of the software means it is automatically kept up-to-date regarding viruses.

Computer security specialty firm Symantec downplayed the Microsoft offering, saying it is lightweight and isn't tuned for new forms of attack being used by hackers.

Symantec referred to Security Essentials as a stripped-down version of an old Microsoft OneCare product that got poor ratings.

"From a security perspective, this Microsoft tool offers reduced defenses at a critical point in the battle against cyber crime," Symantec said of the free offering that competes with Norton products sold by the firm.

"Unique malware and social engineering tricks fly under the radar of traditional signature-based technology alone -- which is what is employed by free security tools such as Microsoft's," it said.

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