China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works

First there was the Berlin Wall. Now there is the Great Firewall of China, not a physical barrier preventing people from leaving, but a virtual one, preventing information harmful to the Communist Party from entering the country.

Far from knocking down the world’s largest system of censorship, China in fact is moving ever more confidently in the opposite direction, strengthening the wall’s legal foundations, closing breaches and reinforcing its control of the Web behind the wall.

What China calls the “Golden Shield” is a giant mechanism of censorship and surveillance that blocks tens of thousands of websites deemed inimical to the Communist Party’s narrative and control, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and even Instagram.

Even iTunes and iBooks are banned. Later this year, China is expected to approve a new law on cyber security that would codify, organize and strengthen its control of the Internet.They have tightened the access through virtual private networks, (VPN) that allow people to gain information outside the firewall. But, they have left open a window to allow english communication by overseas company's and the hierarchy of the party. This is what "Total Control" of people is all about. www.washingtonpost.com... 11e5-8bb1-f124a43f84dc_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop_b

a reply to: tommo39

makes igadgets, cant use their programs. sad.

Different cultures have different tolerances for certain rights.

tommo39

TOR? Would that not beat it?

Of all the things wrong with China, this one thing, the internet being hobbled to near uselessness, is the one thing that I think is the worst. I was considering moving there for awhile..They are experiencing a economic boom and anyone can rapidly make money if they got a bit of backing and a idea to implement, but you gotta deal with some things

such as
dodgy food (simple, pay a bit more for quality foods and dont risk unknown street vendors)
Dodgy building (mostly its plumbing that is the issue..curved pipes for the toilets should be used to trap...odors from coming up..investigate the building, maybe renovate if need be)
and
Internet. ......dealbreaker.

If they only stopped this nonsense, spend the resources they are spending monitoring the net and refunnel that to sanitation, building and food regulations, the country could be truly a gem to migrate to..but nope..the government is a amazing bag of rot
Pity the people have to deal with that crap.

a reply to: tommo39

All it shows is they are incapable of blocking everything as we see more and more internal strife leaking out of the country. Take a gander at whats going on in Hong Kong, and how the word independence is being used. Same with China threatening to cut all ties with Taiwan unless Taiwan recognizes there is one China.

The tighter the grip the more they lose control.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Not up with TOR ISP, but it has troubles through "CloudFlare", read at: blog.cloudflare.com...

a reply to: Xcathdra

Take a gander at whats going on in Hong Kong

Honker's is not and will never be full-on China. The mentality of the people are still living/thinking in the English way. Sure leak's will happen, yes, but the overall concept of the firewall is for Control of anything detrimental to China's ideology.

Plenty of groups in the West would love to have the control China has. Could be working with them to help plug any leaks and get a foolproof system working before a world wide rollout. I'm only speculating, of course.

Google's search bubble architecture already makes a good starting point.

originally posted by: jellyrev
a reply to: tommo39

Different cultures have different tolerances for certain rights.

I thinks its more knowing where lines are drawn.
China will never has similar statistics as say, the US.
As far what statistics, you choose.

a reply to: tommo39

The United States and other Western countries block access to many sites. The Chinese are just better at it...power corrupts and they need to control the narrative to stay in power. They also want to 'protect us' from all kinds of scary internet sites.

Chinese Gov is being successful is because they don't do things the Chinese people don't want. Especially selling their own race out to other people like aliens. Communism wins.

a reply to: makemap

Not doing what their people dont want them to do? ok.

Tell that to Hong Kong.
The people affected by the 3 Gorge Dam project.
The continued support of North Korea.
Suppression of religion.
The people involved in Tiananmin Square.
Suppression of expression.
Suppression of those who dont agree with the government..

Finally what race are they selling out? Last I checked we are all members of the human race.

a reply to: Metallicus

An old comment i remember: "Power is Knowledge and Knowledge is Power"

I think in America the citizenry would rise up for a revolution for only 2 reasons:

Gun confiscation-which is practically undoable,so that's not likely to happen.

Internet censorship and/or severe curtailment of the internet.

Pitchforks and a howling citizenry in a 28 Days Later frame of mind.And i think your guvment knows that.

a reply to: tommo39
What China is doing there, not hidden from their people, is the wests wet dream.
"We" are working for the same things, but nasty and sneaky, hidden from the public.

These idiot totalitarians are just practicing an exercise in futility.


For every rule, regulation, policy, law... and firewall... there is a way to get around it without being detected.

Rest assured, the Chinese youth have perfected this craft down to a science.

This only hurts china.

They will need to abandon this policy if they want to compete in the global market over the next 15 years.

New companies won't put up with this nonsense, I"m surprised google does.

~Tenth