Chinese Internet Censorship Operation Revealed

Stony Stevenson passed on a link to an in-depth look at the Chinese government's massive censorship operation. Reporters Without Borders put together a report on the activities of the operation, with a primary focus on the censorship of internet access and participation. "Chinese supervisory bodies often use instant messaging and text messages sent via mobile phones to communicate quickly with commercial Web sites. The purpose is to tell them which articles or comments are not to be published, and which events or issues are taboo. The Beijing Internet Information Administrative Bureau holds weekly meetings with 19 of the leading Web sites based in the capital to evaluate the subjects that Internet users find most interesting that week."

Comments

Re:the belief that the internet can't be sensored

[Sigismundo]

Yeah, it's like the PRC is the underdog in this battle, you almost want to root for them. All those geeks and techies say to them, "You can't do it. The internet is too big." But the PRC was the little government with a big heart and a lot of spunk, and just enough luck to overcome adversity in the end. :)

You could argue that the PRC has already succeeded, if their goal is to make it so the vast majority of non-technical people don't have access to censored information. If their goal is to keep even technical people seeking out censored information from accessing it, I'm not sure that it's possible.