In China, Internet Users Fight Back Against Censorship
By Jane Clark
February 4, 2008 | Printer Friendly

According to a New York Times article, China, known for its well developed censorship system called “The Great Firewall,” is facing a growing backlash against the restrictions.  The government blocks most political sites, as well as Flickr, Wikipedia, YouTube, and sometimes MySpace.  A university student, Zhu Nan, was motivated by the most recent restriction of Flickr to start questioning the policy.  He has pointed out that if the restrictions are being made according to the law, it does not make sense to block the sites that publicize and explain these policies.  He has started spreading around suggestions for how to evade the restrictions.

The censorship of popular sites has resulted in more than just isolated incidents of frustration.  Many people who previously were not interested in politics “have become active in resisting the controls.”  They are fighting back in ways ranging from lawsuits against government owned internet providers, to developing code to get around the restrictions.  As reported in The Washington Times, restrictions have become even tighter with the upcoming Olympic Games, since officials know that the massive influx of journalists in the country at that time would be a perfect opportunity for its citizens to air its grievances.  The New York Times writes that many people are finding their personal websites—such as children’s books websites and personal business software websites—censored.  Although the government is able to keep adapting to the tactics of the anti-censorship activists, the activists consider the increase of public awareness a victory in itself and are excited that public opinion has effectively limited the power of the censorship.

Xiao Qiang, a McArthur Fellow and founder of Human Rights in China, has started a Berkeley China Internet Project in order to study the role that technology has in transitions in China.  The goal of the project is to answer questions such as whether new communications technology can be “applied to help grow civil society and create emerging democratic institutions.”  They have developed a participatory website called China Digital Times to provide information on China’s social and political transition.  Participants in the project hope that this will broaden the world’s understanding of China, and will “facilitate China's democratic transition, sustainable development and peaceful emergence into the global community.”

References:

New York Times: Great Firewall of China Faces Online Rebels

Washington Times: Chinese Hackers Crack Net Censorship

Berkeley China Internet Project

China Digital Times