A Look Into China's Web Censorship Program

kev0153 writes "MSNBC is offering a good article explaining some of the details behind China's web censorship program. 'Google's face-off with Beijing over censorship may have struck a philosophical blow for free speech and encouraged some Chinese Netizens by its sheer chutzpah, but it doesn't do a thing for Internet users in China. Its more lasting impact may lie in the global exposure it has given to the Chinese government's complex system of censorship – an ever-shifting hodgepodge of restrictions on what information users can access, which Web tools they can use and what ideas they can post.'"

Comments

Impact

[Enderandrew]

I'm sure many citizens are content to accept censorship, because the impact is minimal. It isn't worth risking upheaval if they feel they don't have much to gain.

As fewer major players operate in China, the citizens will realize the effects of censorship more.

Doing so encourages the citizens of China to push for an end to censorship.

Re:Impact

[Low Ranked Craig]

Except that in the US we do not have a lot of censorship. Look at Glenn Beck for example. Whether or not we agree with him is not the point. The point is that he can say what he does under the 1st amendment without fear of being arrested, at least currently. I personally believe that the "mainstream" media in the US does a horrible job of reporting facts, and instead mostly editorializes, but to suggest that the censorship in the US is in anyway comparable to that in China is laughable. The very fact that websites like breitbart, deudgereport and the huffington post exist, whether or not you like what is posted therein, should tell you something about the freedoms we enjoy in the US as compared to China, Iran, North Korea, etc...

Re:Impact

[Hurricane78]

You don’t need censorship. Your social engineers — which you call “mainstream media” — are much better. You don’t have as much censorship, but your perceived reality is just as twisted. (Oh, and bleeping out some of your words definitely is censorship. And shows how well the mind-twisting works.)

We here in Germany aren’t a bit better by the way. I think the population is even more gullible since they still think that the mainstream media is really trustworthy.

It’s as art, to twist the minds in a way that makes opposing statements look like confirmation of your own statements. And if you approach it like science, you can become really good at it.

Mass social engineering is the censorship of the 21st century. It’s the art of creating botnets made of human minds.

Re:Impact

[roman_mir]

Except that Glenn Beck works for Fox, and Fox is the mouthpiece of the Republican party and at this point you actually have to wonder whether Fox exists to push forward Republican agenda or whether Republicans exist to push forward Fox's agenda. It is irrelevant what the laws say, Fox is above all of that.

a government that fears its own people is weak

[circletimessquare]

governments work when they rule by consensus. but when they need coercion to rule, they are weak, and their days are numbered. when, not if, the chinese economy takes a downturn (no economy grows forever), the people will inevitably grumble. but if they can't even grumble, it's not "harmonious", we shall begin to see an unraveling of faith in the government, like we see in tehran

why does the chinese government fear the words of its own people?

it lays bare the fact that their agenda is not the agenda of their own people

Re:a government that fears its own people is weak

[clarkkent09]

That sure sounds nice but 65 million died of famine under Mao and the Communists are still in power 50 years later and his pictures are still everywhere. Seems like that unraveling is taking a while.

We're headed that way, too. Just wait till

[n6kuy]

... our Government in the United States forces it's notion of "net neutrality" upon us.

what a giant load of horseshit

[circletimessquare]

do you treat the people in your life well because... you FEAR them?!

that's not how the world works, nor basic human nature

either you're momentarily horribly wrong due to transient serious brain failure, or you're psychologically screwed up, to ever write anything like that

Re:what a giant load of horseshit

[dugjohnson]

There's a difference in the way a person treats the people in his life and the way the government treats people in its life.

Original poster's point is that a government that doesn't fear consequences as a result of mistreating the governed will do pretty much what it wants.  There is no other reasonable motivator.  Altruism in government is seen even more rarely than in everyday life, and I'm hoping you won't try to make the point that my government loves me.

I've always disliked MSNBC, and here is why

[Kral_Blbec]

FTA

To be sure, most of China’s 384 million Internet users log on for mundane reasons that don’t challenge the limits of free speech. A lot of Chinese citizens also accept the notion that stability and continued economic growth depend on government controls, including censorship.

WTF? Does this ring 1984 to anybody? "Sure its oppression, but its okay. The people prefer it this way." What kind of asinine journalism is that?!? It seems to me much more likely that the people just don't dare speak up against it, rather than that they are willing and happy to be controlled by Big Brother.

your government doesn't fear you

[circletimessquare]

if you live in a democracy

there's nothing to fear

it actively seeks to represent the middle ground. in this way it gains power. fear is never part of the process. its the difference between ruling by attractive force, and ruling by repulsive force

yes, as you say: it's not love, your government doesn't love you. but to even contemplate this absurdity says a lot about your thought processes. at best, you are offering a strawman. at worst you only understand simpleminded ideas of what government is. a democracy, rule by consensus, is not based on any kind of fear. really

that you believe only force, coercion and fear is the way all governments work in this world is some massive failure of perception on your part, and explains a lot of truly mindlessly cynical observations out there that i see people make about government

try to understand there's a little more nuance in your world. right now, your ability to understand what government is is stunted

Re:google leaving does help chinese citizens

[Enderandrew]

Google grew to a 33% share, despite the government encouraging users to use Baidu, the fact that Baidu was well established before Google in China, and that all government employees use Baidu. That rapid growth is pretty impressive.