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Real-Time Testing of China's Internet Filters

Posted by chrisd on from the but-do-they-block-wigu dept.

mrbnsn writes "The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School is conducting a study of Internet filtering in countries worldwide. As part of this study, they have put up a web page where you can get a real-time report on whether any URL you submit is blocked by the Great Firewall. Check whether you'd be able to read your favorite web sites in Beijing!" I've also heard that there are some "western" hotels that have non-blocked connections. Anyone from China care to tell us what it's like?

4 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. And how can we stop this? by Lady+Blue · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What I want to know is how we, the coder community, can help people in China get around the site filters! I know there's one research project underway with proxy servers, but it'd be great if someone could come up with a cheap and easy hack that solves this. Any ideas?

  2. The Real Point by Zeinfeld · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The idea that the great firewall of China will protect the communist party is farcical. As with any wall it can do nothing against the threat that comes from inside the country.

    Of course in the mind of lunatic GOP nationalists nobody in the world outside of the US ever had an idea about freedom or human rights. But the Berlin wall failled and so will the great firewall.

    The criticism that will bring down the communist party is local. That is why they are so afraid of an AIDS activist who described how careless officials spread AIDS to whole villiages collecting blood plasma.

    Outside comment can play a useful role but politicians who agrandize themselves by claiming to have brought down communism in other countries are largely hot air bags.

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    1. Re:The Real Point by Zeinfeld · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Hmm, wasn't it Pres Reagan who said, "...tear down this wall!" Besides, this has nothing to do with the GOP...

      A speach that went down well in the US but you miss out the start of the phrase, "Mr Gorbachev". Gorbachev did far more to end communism in the USSR than Reagan could.

      The Soviet Union collapsed because the Communist party had visibly lost control and Gorbachev was clearly not prepared to reassert it by force. The loss of control began in Poland and spread through Eastern Europe. It was the students from East Germany that tore down the wall, not Gorbachev or Reagan.

      If huffing and puffing from US politicians would blow down communist regimes then Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea would have fallen first. Instead they are still standing and it is pretty obvious that the regime is using the external hostility as an excuse.

      Cancel the sanctions against Cuba and the regime would be lucky to last more than five years. The right is keen to spend money on broadcast propaganda to attack Cuba but completely ignores the propaganda effect of tourists carrying fat wallets. Of course the Cuba sanctions policy is not about bringing down Fidel and has everything to do with getting votea in Florida so the effectiveness is not exactly the issue.

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  3. I'm in China, it's not that bad... by pfleisch · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I just arrived in Dalian, China three weeks ago and I'm going to be here for a year working at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

    One of my main fears about coming here was the internet access. I was afraid that they would block any western site that could talk about democracy or badly about China in any way. Could it be possible that I might not be able to, gasp, read slashdot for an entire year? After I got here I found at that isn't the case at all. I can get to Slashdot, CNN, Yahoo, pretty much every site that I use on a regular basis. The only one that really pisses me off is sourceforge. Out of all the sites to block, why the hell did they pick that one? Maybe because they figure that if anyone does find a way to write a piece of software that could get around their firewall, that would probably be one of the first places it would be posted. I can't seem to come up with a better answer. Any ideas?

    Anyway, Google is not blocked, and neither is the cache, so if I ever do find a site that I can't get to, I just use Google's cache to get a general idea of what is there.

    Also, as far as the blocking of Playboy and other sex sites goes, any country where you can walk into a bar and have two prostitutes sitting on your lap within 5 minutes (no joke) has far more serious moral issues to deal with than a few internet sex sites. Enough said.