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Internet Censorship: Which of Your Favorite Sites Are Being Blocked in China? Check it Out Here
Many internet sites are censored (i.e. access is blocked) in mainland China and I have often wondered if
munKNEE.com was one of them let alone all those other much more provocative sites out there. If you are curious as to whether or not any of the sites you visit are, in fact, censored in mainland China then check out the following site where you can find out immediately. Words: 1382
So says Lorimer Wilson, editor of www.munKNEE.com and www.FinancialArticleSummariesToday.com.
Why should I have been concerned about whether or not munKNEE.com was one of those being censored by the authorities there? Well, I spent the month of September in China travelling extensively throughout the country to, among other things, get an on-the-ground first hand and in-depth understanding as to the health of its current economy and its prospects for the future. Since then a number of posts on munKNEE.com have not presented as favourable a view of the country as the powers to be there might appreciate so, with 137 millions of potential readers (granted not all of them can read English!) at stake, I often wondered if the information in the articles on munKNEE.com was getting through. Now I know thanks to www.greatfirewallofchina.org.
Visit www.greatfirewallofchina.org and type in the site you are curious about and in seconds you will know if it is blocked in any of the districts of mainland China.
Source: Greatfirewallofchina.org
The Aim of www.greatfirewallofchina.org is to be a watchdog and keep track of which and how many or how many times sites are censored. Help to keep the censorship transparent. Each blocked website will automatically be added to the great firewall on the homepage.
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How it works: We’ve opened a website in China and route your url request on www.greatfirewallofchina.org through to our server in China. The server in China opens the url and the result is sent back. Our testing is only based on one server in one location in China. We have different backup servers in different locations in China in case one might go down. Other locations and other servers may give you different access to the various websites.
About us: We are a non-profit group of creatives such as web designers, documentary film directors and journalists who want to make the censorship system is transparent and keep open the discussion on censorship.
Frequently asked questions:
- Will I stay anonymous if I test a site? YES, we will never share your email address with any third party.
- Who is censoring? The Chinese government has a tradition of keeping its watchful eye on all media. Since the rapid growth of the World Wide Web in the 1990s they have constantly invented new ways of censorship to control the world’s most democratic medium, the Internet, as well. Not everything on the Internet, readily available elsewhere, can be accessed from within China.
- How does Internet censoring work? It is estimated that some 30,000 Chinese civil servants are monitoring Internet traffic and blocking content that is deemed undesirable. Typing in sensitive keywords such as “democracy”, “Falun Gong”, “pornography” [or even, from my own personal experience over there, the word "union"] in a search engine results in an error message. Websites of a sensitive nature are being blocked. Internet service providers also (self)censor, as do individuals (many people do not express their real thoughts because they know these will be censored anyway).
- Is only the Internet being censored? No, the same goes for radio, television, films, and books. Internet censorship concerns itself mostly with websites and personal weblogs.
- Will Internet censorship ever change? Remarkably, censorship in China is constantly changing. Content that was banned yesterday, may be available today and tomorrow may be banned again. Likewise, it is not always clear what exactly is allowed from one day to the next. Generally speaking, though, one can safely assume that freetibet.org, for example, will be blocked more often than not.
- How do the people of China counter this? The Chinese are very resourceful in this. A site about popular movie stars may become a vehicle for discussing delicate political issues. Among Chinese ‘nerds’ hacking systems are circulating that completely bypass censorship, but you must be knowledgeable enough to download these from non-blocked sites. Then there are weblogs that appear to discuss dogs but are in fact describing the political situation in China.
- What about Wikipedia? Good question! Wikipedia has been blocked for ages.
- Can Internet censorship happen in my country? Yes, of course but then it is called ‘filtering’. You can apply censorship yourself, for instance by installing a children’s filter in your browser, in the same way a government may decide it is “better for you” not to visit certain sites.
- Why should I be bothered? Surely you wouldn’t want a censored Internet to become the standard? For 137 million Chinese this is already a reality. That’s why you should be bothered!
- Will this site be blocked as well, eventually? Yes, we suppose so, but we have backup systems for this eventuality, and we won’t explain to you in detail how this works, and you can understand why, can’t you?
- Are Western companies engaging in censorship in China? Yes. Products such as yahoo.cn and google.cn adhere to the rules of official Chinese censorship. In other words, not everything you search for with google.cn is available. These companies argue that if you wish to do business in a particular country, you must obey its rules.
- Are you associated with any human rights organisation? No. The Great Firewall of China is a private initiative by its makers.
- Once again: who is censoring in China? Censorship is practiced by various interest groups at various levels: The government, who regulates the internet by means of an extensive arsenal of laws and administrative regulations. Foreign, i.e. Western, internet providers such as google.cn and yahoo.cn who argue that if you wish to do business in China, you must obey its rules. The Chinese commercial internet providers, who also have to adhere to government rules. The moderators of Chinese chat rooms & discussion forums, who block “sensitive” postings. The cyber cafes; everyone who wishes to go online in an internet cafe is obliged to register beforehand.
This ‘voluntary compliance’ with existing regulations can have major consequences. According to ‘Reporters Sans Frontieres’, in 2003 dissident Jiang Lijun was sentenced to four years imprisonment for ‘undermining the state’. His conviction was based on a draft email found on his Yahoo page. This draft contained proposals for a more democratic China, which, according to the prosecution, could be regarded as taking part in “subversive activities that aim to undermine the authority of the Communist Party”. Yahoo provided the necessary data to convict Jiang. - What about blogging? According to state media, by the end of 2006 there were 20.8 million bloggers in China. Blogging, which implies venting your own opinions, has become immensely popular in China. In order to control the phenomenon the government wants blog users to register under their real name. A resourceful Chinese individual created this loophole: www.adoptablog.org. Adopt a Chinese blog, and help keep these bloggers online – anonymously.
- Can the Great Firewall be by-passed by technical means? Both from within and from outside of China several academics, security experts and hackers are trying to hack the great firewall. Western academics came up with ways to circumvent the Great Firewall. Results so far are promising, but the question remains how long it will take the Chinese government to come up with counter measures. Another question is if the average person online can easily apply these methods.
- What if people persist in distributing ‘sensitive’ information via their websites or blogs? According to ‘Reporters Sans Frontières’, in September 2006, 50 cyber dissidents were held in Chinese prisons, as far as we know. Prison sentences vary from 3 to 10 years.
Relevant links:
- www.opennetinitiative.org THE organisation that deals with internet censorship i.e. internet filtering worldwide.
- http://irrepressible.info An initiative by Amnesty to sign a pledge on internet freedom.
- www.globalvoicesonline.org Newsgathering not through regular media, but through bloggers, photo sharing sites, internet worldwide.
- http://www.rsf.org An organisation that defends press freedom worldwide and aims to inform those parts of the world where there is no full freedom of the press.
Important disclaimer: This version 1.0 may report sites as being ‘blocked’, while there are only technical reasons for their unavailability. The Great Firewall of China’s aim is to collaboratively build a community that will be able to visualize Internet censorship in an increasingly accurate way.
Hat tip: http://www.greatfirewallofchina.org/index.php?siteurl=alsosprachanalyst.com
Other Articles Referencing China:
1. The China Syndrome – Fully Understanding China’s Economic Prospects: Michael Pettis
In order to argue that we will not see a sharp slowdown in Chinese growth, it is not enough to claim that a) some expert or institution has predicted that Chinese growth will not slowdown, b) that China has enough savings in its coffers to bail itself out of a crisis or c) that Beijing leaders cannot tolerate growth below 8%, so of course growth will not drop below 8%. As greater evidence for the bear camp surfaces, China bulls need stronger justifications for their positions or risk losing credibility. [In fact, they need precise answers to 3 questions put forth in this lengthy but extremely insightful (dare I say, absolute best, article on the China sydrome to have ever been written!) article.] Words: 4130
2. 18 Countries Now Have More Economic Freedom Than U.S. – Here are the Details
This year’s Economic Freedom of the World Index, which lists countries by most to least free using every available objective criterion, contains a real shocker when it comes to the United States. We aren’t just slipping on the index, we’re falling off a cliff. In many parts of the world, life is freer than in the “land of the free.” What this reports says about the United States should be front-page news. Instead, it has received barely any attention at all. The U.S. has fallen from a high of 2nd to its current 19th. Here’s why. Words: 1040
3. This Indicator at a Crossroads As to Direction of Future Global Growth
The Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite (SSEC) index is at a crucial crossroads with serious implications as to whether or not slower global growth is at hand. Take a look at where it currently is and continue to watch closely in the days ahead.
4. Next Move of the SSE Extremely Important to Commodity Investors – Here’s Why
The next move of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) will impact how investors will want to structure their portfolios, especially in the commodity complex. Words: 226
5. Certain Hard Commodity Prices Will Drop By As Much As 50% By 2015 – Here’s Why
I have been bearish on hard commodities for the past two years and, while prices may have dropped substantially from their peaks during this time, I don’t think the bear market is over. I think we still have a very long way to go and there are four reasons why I expect prices to drop a lot more. Words: 3978
I believe that the engine of global economic growth for the next five-year period will be China. I firmly also believe that it’s not only appropriate, but critical for investors, even those whose focus is trading rather than investing to now take a look at China equities based on long-term investment horizons. [This article does just that with some specific investment suggestions.] Words: 1581.
7. Here are Some Good Reasons to Consider Investing in China Again
With negative sentiment toward China reaching an extreme in recent months, patient investors have been rewarded with this week’s news of improving data from the Asian giant. [In fact, according to BCA] this appears to be a good time to be investing in China, as stocks are historically cheap. Words: 760
8. China’s Demand for Iron Ore (Steel) Continues – Here are the Facts
Iron ore is now the world’s second largest commodity market after oil and is essential for developing nations to build infrastructure and to modernize accounting for 95% of all metal produced annually. [As I can personally attest to from my recent 29 day trip throughout mainland China, it is no surprise that] China’s rapid industrialization in the last decade…is responsible for all the growth in steel consumption since 2000…placing a huge strain on the global iron supply and pushing iron exploration into untapped regions of the world. Although the price of iron price rose steadily until peaking in 2011 (it has softened as of late), the long-term outlook is strong. Learn more in this informative infographic.
9. China & India to Drive Diamond Demand this Decade to New Heights – Here’s Why
China and India are about to drive diamond demand through newly affluent population. In the world diamond retail market, Asia in 2005 made up 23% of purchases. In 2020, they will make up 57%! Such growth in diamond demand should make for a sparkling future for those who invest prudently. In the infographic and copy below you will learn all about diamonds.
10. Nickel: Demand Strong, Supply Diversified & Prices Stable
While best known for its use in the five cent coin, nickel has far more strategic uses. Nickel can be alloyed with other metals to create truly extraordinary materials – such as stainless steel which now accounts for more than half of all nickel consumed. China’s stainless steel consumption has increased 1625% in the last 10 years and is now the largest demand driver for nickel worldwide accounting for 40% of global totals. There’s still a lot more room for growth in the industry and nickel’s diversified supply is expected to keep prices stable, so the savvy investor should look for low cost nickel projects in safe jurisdictions. Check out the infographic below for more insights.
11. Why Copper Prices Have Increased So Dramatically Over the Last 10 Years
In this infographic we explore why copper prices have increased by 4x over the course of 10 years.
12. Mining of Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) in Canada by 2017 Offer Major Investment Opportunity
95-97% of the supply of Rare Earth Elements (REE) – integral to the high-technology, nanotechnology, hybrid automotive, aerospace and defence industries – currently comes from China. China has continued to reduce its export quotas to the point where it will only be supplying 50% of the world’s needs by 2015. This will have a major impact on prices for each of the 17 Light (LREE) and Heavy (HREE) elements that comprise the category – and the products in which they are used – unless alternate sources of supply are found. A Canadian company has done just that and will be bringing one of the largest HREE resources in the world (44% HREE, 56% LREE) into production by 2017. Below is an infographic on the REE market and a link to a Proactive One 2One Investor Forum presentation I attended on REE market fundamentals and the development and prospects of Quest Rare Minerals Ltd. and their Strange Lake project.
13. Watch Out! Russia & China Stripping USD of Its Dominant Role in World Trade
Before China and Russia can boot the U.S. military out of Asia and Eastern Europe, they have to strip the dollar of its dominant role in world trade, especially of Middle Eastern oil and that’s exactly what they’re trying to do. [Let me explain.] Words: 816
14. China’s Role in the Future of Gold
In this infographic we look at how gold growth in China will impact the future of the precious metal. In Q4 of 2011 and continuing into 2012, China has bought more gold overall than even India and will continue to play an important role in consumption.
2012-11-15 20:04:05
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