Internet Censorship and China

Censorship Laws and Practices in China Introduction China joined the global Internet age in 1994, and has been commercially available since 1995. Since then, Chinese Internet usage has seen explosive growth, doubling every six months, and the number of online users is only second to the US. The Internet age ushered in the information age with a new world of freedom and expression for the Chinese. However, soon after its inception, the Chinese government has reined in the free wheeling Internet users and has imposed new laws and restrictions to access and content on the Internet. It is interesting to note that some of the new Internet regulations contradict International Laws signed by the Chinese government.

I will be writing about how America’s government is not the only one in the world using censorship to prevent its people from hearing and knowing the truth. China and several other countries are doing the exact same thing. It is mandated by China’s Communist government that all types of media be censored before being released to the people. China’s government is is known for blocking internet access and using censorship to keep order. I’m going to write about the different methods China’s government uses to prevent its people from knowing what is really happening. In China, the government monitors all things on the internet, and blocks certain web sites and pages that contain anything it does not want the people seeing. Another common method of censorship is the government reviewing all of the newspapers before they are released for print, if the government does not approve, the articles are rewritten, or not published at all. The government allows for criticism of it, but if there is any sort of collective expression within it, the words will be destroyed like many other things in China.

Rosenthal, Elisabeth. "China Lists Controls To Restrict the Use Of E-mail and Web." The New York Times, 27 January 2000. Retrieved 26 April 2004.

Censorship in China in Comparison to the United States Censorship is described an act in which the government monitor, bans, or restricts information from the media and public. The purpose of censorship is to protect national security and help the government control what goes on in society. According to a report, in totalitarian countries, there were 66 journalists killed, 1044 journalists arrested, 199 bloggers and netizens arrested and 62 bloggers and netizens physically attacked for expressing their freedoms online in 2011 (Reporters without borders, 2011). These rates seem to increase as time progresses. Censorship is used in our daily lives in media, social networks, and other communication sources.

Everyday people in China are suffering from their government. From being wrongly accused to being executed for petty crimes. In a country where you cannot speak your opinions, talk poorly about government officials, speak about Chinese communist failures, or even browse the internet freely. China has kept its citizens in the void. One example is the great firewall of china, which sensors most social media and other sites. This essay will go into some individual stories of the Chinese government's unfair social injustices towards its people.

Internet Censorship With the click of a mouse, anyone can access an incredible wealth of information on topics ranging from aardvarks to zygotes. We use desktops, laptops, palmtops, and cellular telephones to connect through telephone lines, cable connections, and wireless ports. The Internet is here. It has made our lives richer and easier; it has collapsed boundaries and expanded horizons.

The Freedom of Speech is granted to every American citizen and has been since it was founded in 1776; however, not every nation grants that right. China, as a communist nation, retains most individual freedom rights from its citizens. Although in the Peoples Republic of China’s (PRC) 1982 constitution, people are guaranteed Freedom of Expression and Press; it is often violated by the current corrupt government. The government demands the news to be 80% positive and 20% negative, altering the facts n occasion. In contrast to that, America has recently become more involved with the pressing issue as well because of the involvement of Google. Thus it has shined the light on government censorship and corruption. China’s government corruption and censorship has led to a bribery of government and corporation officials, the Shanghai (Xinjiang) Riots/Tiananmen Square Massacre, and current complications with Google.cn.

Cyberspace and Internet Censorship "Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace [the Internet], the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather" (Barlow 18). The Internet is a vast network of computers, both public and private, which spans the globe.

After the internet became available to the new generation, there came a great concern regarding its substantial and beneficial usage. As soon as internet became popular among the people, so is its being controversial. There had been lots of issues fought concerning the internet usage, especially the measure of what things are appropriate and inappropriate, what are those that can be accessed and what are those that cannot. As questions piled from one another, and issues are getting more and more pervasive, the government, alarmed by the threat internet and its technicalities, has made a protocol which was definitely good and particularly bad too. This protocol was the controversial term Internet Censorship.

The Internet is like many great inventions, it has some flaws, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. The Internet has become an educational tool for students, increased communication, and allowed for knowledge of all subjects to be shared. These are but a few benefits of the Internet. Censorship is generally an evil and should be avoided where ever possible (Butt, 2000). The regulation or censorship of the Internet will make it difficult for people to express their mind openly, block even more useful sites for students, and deny American citizens their first amendment right to free speech.