11/9/2023 0 Comments Great firewall![]() ![]() China has also been ranked 175th out of a total of 180 nations by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index 2022.Īrticle 6 of China’s Provisional Regulations of the PRC on the Management of International Networking of Computer Information Networks reads: Computer information networks conducting direct international networking shall use the international access channels provided by the national public telecommunications networks of the Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications. Freedom House, the human rights think tank, rates China as one of the world’s worst abusers of Internet freedoms. While Chinese netizens enjoy high-speed and highly affordable Internet access, connections can be slowed down by sophisticated blocking and filtering systems, especially during sensitive times, such as National Congress. Now that the Great Firewall also regulates inbound and outbound Internet traffic between China and the rest of the world, many major news outlets such as the BBC, CNN, the New York Times, the South China Morning Post, The Guardian etc are not accessible at all.īeijing, China on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2022: People watch the light and projection show during the countdown celebration held at Shougang Park Gradually, however, more and more websites were blocked, and China’s “netizens” face more technical and political challenges if they attempt to scale the Firewall. Initially, the Firewall served to block only a few anti-Communist Party Chinese-language websites, and it was relatively easy to circumvent. It is a gargantuan mechanism of censorship and surveillance aimed at restricting content, identifying and locating individuals, and providing immediate access to personal records. It is the same reason that international media is not accessed in China generally.Ĭhina’s internet censorship system, also colloquially known as the “Great Firewall”, has been in place since 2000, when the Golden Shield Project (Jindun Gongcheng - 金盾工程) was launched by the Ministry of Public Security. Xu’s hesitation to bypass the Firewall to access information beyond what Chinese websites can offer is not uncommon among young people in China, where there are more than 1 billion Internet users. “I feel bad about bothering my friend all the time, but I am afraid of downloading the VPN by myself," she says. Xu, who wishes to be referred to by her last name only, was afraid to install a random, non-authorised VPN which might give her the access she needs. She has had to ask a Thai classmate, who has been living in Bangkok as she was unable to return to China due to the pandemic, to help her download materials in English. International media is blocked in China - and many don't want to read it anyway, for fear of seeing "Western smears" Newspapers at a stand in Beijing, China, on Friday, March 4, 2022. Her prestigious university has a Facebook page to communicate with international students who might not use Wechat or other Chinese channels, which depends on an internal VPN to function. Furthermore, even with the wifi on campus and the virtual private network (VPN) provided by her university, Xu still can’t access relevant English websites. The semi-lockdown in Beijing and mobility restrictions on campus have made it tricky for Xu to make use of her university's library. ![]() Since her work involves looking into law in Southeast Asian countries, she is required to delve into English-language sources. In addition, she has to keep up with her own studies for another five hours per day. ![]() Xu, originally from Henan, works 10 hours a day in the office. She is facing stiff competition, as several other interns from top universities are competing for one vacancy. Xu, who became a Communist Party member during her undergraduate years, hopes the internship will lead to employment when she graduates in June this year. She has been tasked with examining existing laws on corporate social responsibility in countries in the Mekong area. Xu, a 25-year-old MA student at one of Beijing’s top universities, is currently completing an internship with a legal chambers. International media is blacked out in China - and very few are willing to try to bypass the country’s Firewall ![]()
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