The Great Firewall of China
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The Great Firewall of China is a term used to describe the country of China's vast and sophisticated Internet firewall that regulates what Chinese citizens can see, access, and create from their computers. This title is a play-on-words of China's great physical monument, the Great Wall of China and strengthens arguments for Net Neutrality. [[Image: |thumb|250px|right| Testing]]
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Introduction
The Internet is a vast pool of knowledge and information that should be accessible to all those who wish to learn. With little ownership to its entirety, it is easy for any user to simply create and express opinions to the world. This can sometimes lead to uneasiness through many organizations as this area is not governed. Most government institutions accept this reality, however China has taken a different route. Through a series of censorship, data filtering, and content blocking schemes, the government of China attempts to keep an eye on content that gets through the countries borders. It is estimated that over 30,000 monitor its countries web use to try to ensure that their is no online dissent. [5]
Censorship in China
In China there is heavy sensorship on media and journalists. They are forced to conform to the idealisms of the Communist Chinese party. "In general, China attempts to suppress publication of information related to "subversive" political movements and controversial state actions, including the Tiananmen Square uprising, support for a free Tibet, the Falun Gong spiritual movement, criticism of China's human rights and social justice records, independent news media, and pro-democracy / pro-Western commentary." [2] To say the least, Internet content regulation is heavy and like no other country in the world. This often forces citizens to err on the side of caution when using the Internet and posting content as doing so could land users in legal trouble. Laws tend to be vague and can cover a large grey area of issues which makes it easier to supress individuals.
Content Blocking
Connection Blocking
[[Image: |thumb|200px|right| Testing1]]
Major Blocked Websites
At some point in time each of these major websites have been blocked on behalf of the Chinese Government. They include media sites, blogging, internet forums, political organizations, and government organizations. For working list of websites blocked you can refer to this site this site. The following is a few of the popular sites that have caused controversy in the Republic of China:
- Youtube - A popular video sharing site where users can upload, view, and share video clips. [4]
- Flickr - An image hosting site, and web services suite. [4]
- Human Rights Watch - An organization that researches and promotes human rights. [4]
- Amnesty International - An organization devoted to preventing abuse in the world. [4]
Conclusions
References
[1] http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rnc1/ignoring.pdf
[2] http://opennet.net/studies/china/
[3] http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan011043.pdf
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_websites_blocked_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China
[5] Business Week:The Great Firewall of China
See also
Computer Network Traffic Shaping