Tangled Web: Chinese Internet users, like these in a Shanghai café, must contend with broad censorship amid surging Internet growth.
Justin Guariglia
The government says tight controls are compatible with vibrant growth.
China, with the most Internet users of any country in the world, has issued its first government whitepaper declaring an overall Internet strategy--one that advocates Internet growth while implicitly defending censorship policies amid global concern over online repression and China-based cyber espionage.
"I think this whitepaper is a statement that the Chinese Communist Party intends to stay in power, and also intends to expand Internet access, and be on the cutting edge of Internet innovation, and that there isn't any contradiction in any of those things," says Rebecca MacKinnon, a China Internet expert who is a visiting fellow at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy.
While the document, which comes from Beijing's information ministry, contains no surprises, it is noteworthy as the first complete declaration of its kind from China. It is also clearly--if not explicitly--a response to recent events. Last year China announced it would require computers sold inside China to contain censorship software known as Green Dam, although it later suspended the requirement. And this year Google pulled its search operation out of mainland China, declaring it could no longer comply with censorship requirements after China-based attackers attempted to steal intellectual property and spy on e-mail accounts of human rights activists. Google has also asked the United States to petition the World Trade Organization to recognize Chinese censorship as an unfair trade barrier.
"The timing of course coincides with the public uproar about Google China and Green Dam software," says Guobin Yang, a China Internet expert and sociologist at Columbia University, and author of the book The Power of the Internet in China. "What is interesting here is that I see this as reflecting part of an effort to promote the government's point of view--a larger strategy of projecting 'soft power.' They want to put out their own position, a defense of their policies and strategies."
The whitepaper is partly an effort to promote the idea that states can assert sovereignty over and administer the Internet, Yang adds. "It's such big business, such a big part of the Chinese economy," he says. "More and more so, the government has an interest in maintaining growth of this economy, while at the same time it still wants to control the Internet."
For 18 minutes in April, one-seventh of the Internet was routed through China— a major problem with no ready solution.
The search company hopes an extra click will forestall cancellation of its license in China.
Will China's Web, like its larger economy, comfortably combine extraordinary growth with government repression?
Truly free Internet is not their priority, and it works OK.
Excellent quote in the article: 'we have free speech in this country, except for the speech that isn't allowed.' Although I don't like not being able to access some English-based websites in China, the Internet is actually quite self-contained and has numerous Chinese-language equivalent of Facebook, YouTube, ... and yes even Google. The web culture develops in its own way.
Now just for a moment put aside your argument about censorship and don't let the words 'Chinese-language equivalent' trigger your Sinophobia. Yes there is a bigger world out there that is not English-centric. While some other countries worry about strong influence of English websites on their culture -- possibly due to higher proportion of the population that speaks and understands English well. In China I see less of this phenomenon. The upside of this is that the Internet evolves in its own way and new ideas and innovations come about.
This may come as a surprise to you but life is more than free speech and democracy. You and I can sit comfortably here typing the merits of democracy into blogs and forums while having a cup of Starbucks Latte. But do you REALLY think ‘thank god we have free speech in this country’ when you’re filling up your car, going to the bank, shopping, eating, facing your manager and your customers, looking after your family, breaking up with your spouse, meeting a deadline for your project, brainstorming your next great invention? No. Well maybe yes if you’re building a free-Tibet website for a client, or maybe your kids just got their journalism degree and decided to write their first big story from inside North Korea. My point is no matter how important you think your belief is, other people have different priorities in their life. Your universal values are not as universal as you’d like to think.
When you realise that 90% of the Chinese population cares as much about Google.com as you do about Taobao.com (Wait? What does Taobao do? Let me Google it…) maybe you would consider putting your prejudice aside just for a wee bit and look at this ‘issue’ from a different viewpoint.
Re: Truly free Internet is not their priority, and it works OK.
Sorry but from what other angle do you want to look at freedom of expression?...You either recognize it, or you don't.
And please don't come up with simplistic stereotypes about "Free Tibet" shouting, latte drinking westerners. Many of us (surprise! surprise!) are Mandarin speaking, tea drinking, chopstick wielding, dim-sum savoring people. We also travel to China and see things for ourselves. CCP propaganda falls on its face. So much for "face saving".
As for Sinophobia, you got it all wrong. Most Western cities have had Chinatowns for many decades. People do like Chinese culture, and are drawn to it. Even the lower classes are fascinated by it. You can walk into some redneck, or ghetto, tattoo parlor and find that they offer all kinds of China inspired tattos: dragons, Chinese horoscope characters etc.
On a comparison level, the average Chinese person (on the Mainland) is a lot more xenophobic and intolerant than the average American.
As for the American public outcries due to tainted, poisonous Chinese products...well, that's China's fault, not America's. Got milk/melamine?
Zai jien!
Re: Truly free Internet is not their priority, and it works OK.
CCP propaganda didn't work on you? Big deal. You're not the target demographic anyway. It worked on the millions it was intended for.
My point was although free-speech has its merits it's not everything. In everyday life there are more pressing problems to solve than these 'big issues' that some (notably college students) are concerned about.
I'm sure the CCP leaders would love to allow free-speech if it benefits them: e.g. use it to reveal corruption of local officials. And to some extent this is already working. When it comes to national security though, some stuff is always off-limits.
And there is always a problem when you have a large percentage of population believing in whatever they hear without questioning the credibility of the source. IMO that's dangerous, and needs government intervention, until enough people have learned how to think critically.
Tainted milk? Of course it's not Americans' fault. Those scums should be forced to drink their own milk until they die.
Of course they don't care about Google in China. If I never owned my car, I wouldn't care about it either. You must first be able to experience something before you care about it.
Some of you morons seem to think freedom of speech means you have uncontrolled freedom of speech... Are you complete idiots or what.
France for instance sensors its radio so as to maintain a majority of national radio... Most broadcasters would like to play more enjoyable music. I can cite every country in the world for controls against the public majority.
Try visiting the real-world for a change. China may be wanting control, but its no more than other countries.
Frankly controlling ones country is the single biggest best thing you can do. Its NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT (world wide) but its the right thing.
I would hate it ...really hate it if every where i went had a macdonalds at the corner like America...
Is it wrong to control development...no...is it wrong to control what is said in newspapers... no...is it wrong to control what is shown on tv ...no..
What is wrong is controlling the process of election of people to power...and frankly you can fail EVERY country in the world for that...America's 2 party system...same families for the last 300 years or britains party system...
Did you know they outlawed pedophiles from forming government partys...now assuminmg a pedophile party got into power they could in fact make pedophile behaviour legal...DO YOU WANT THIS...OMG NO.
ITS CALLED CONTROL.
Every country has control so quit your stupid whining people.
Did not quite know that Chinese liked their status ... well should not guess that from some comments ... since govt can be controlling that as well ... but if its true then a lil surprising thou ...
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Observer10
3 Comments
Why?
Why does the Chinese Communist Party feel the need to censor the internet? Do they think that the average citizen's belief in the veracity of their ideals is so weak that it would crumble in the face of open opposition? What is it?
Reply
rsanchez1
213 Comments
Re: Why?
In such oppressive situations, it is imperative that no seed of doubt be planted in any citizen's mind. They have to censor everything for fear that small kernels of truth will start circulating among the general population that will eventually blossom into a revolution. Words, even small, insignificant words, can be the most powerful force on the planet, and with the Internet being the most efficient engine to transmit words, you can see why the Chinese government wants strong censorship of their Internet.
Reply
Marrach
34 Comments
Re: Why?
An old Truism (and yes, it isn't LOGICALLY true-- but it flows easily in a catholic lay sense). . .
". . .What you don't Know Can't Hurt You. . ."
The Chinese Politburo adds a simple corollary:
". . .What you don't Know Won't Trouble Us. . ."
Both of these 'Truisms' carry implacable power when wielded by Autocratic Power, and worse, reinforced via advanced Information Technology.
We in the west should be wary and keep a sharp eye on the Chinese Gov't. Their control of the Internet and their Citizens is dismissed by us in the west as an 'Attempt' And the word 'Attempt' presumes probable Failure because here in the West we bend our efforts towards circumventing Data Barriers.
But it is NOT an 'Attempt'. Failure is not presumed. It is an ongoing endeavor that is succeeding as the Chinese info-technologists focus their intellect on development and refinement of information Data structure whose MAIN PURPOSE is to CONTAIN the user.
We should watch them carefully. Because there are other entities, corporate and otherwise, who secretly see a useful cost or security benefit in a truly invisible and configurable 'Green Dam'. It just isn't 'politic' to openly focus our collective creativity on building an effective Data Prison for our own e-Citizens.
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