JMS+375+Group+8




 * ~ ** Kailey Aleto ** ||~ ** Daniella Azencot ** ||~ ** Teross Bowen ** ||~ ** Jessica Cooper ** ||~ ** Louise Henninger ** ||~ ** Sara Kofman ** ||~ ** Bethany Scribner ** ||~ ** Eric Sheridan ** ||~ ** Ashley Weaver ** ||~ ** Samuel Williams ** ||

toc =Introduction = Censorship is a problem that stands in the way of open expression and free speech. Throughout history, authoritative governments and dictatorial monarchies have used censorship as a way to control its citizens, stifle free thought and crush revolutionary ideas. Thankfully, censorship in most modern countries has faded away; the advent of the Internet meant finally stripping away those last barriers that halted free and open sharing of information. This has not proven to be the case the world over, though, with many undemocratic countries restricting what their citizens have access to on the web. China is one of the most egregious examples, continually censoring the available information with what has become known as the “Great Firewall of China” (Tai, 2006). China contains nearly the most internet users in one country, approaching 400 million (World Bank, 2009), yet their censorship is considered one of the most oppressive in the world, with dissenters thrown into jail for life sentences (Warf, 2010). This Wiki will examine the History of Internet Censorship in China, look at the ways Censorship inhibits the Social Media capabilities of its citizens and explain how the people of China react to this oppressive regime and the future challenges censorship presents.

=**History of Internet Censorship** = Censorship has a long history within China, with the feudal regimes often restricting access to information. The current form of censorship, however, developed after the Peoples Republic of China took control after the Cultural Revolution (Wang et al., 2008). During that time, a great number of books and films were destroyed or placed into restricted archives in order to maintain this new society (Chase et al., 2002). The Censorship of the Internet is done for much the same reason, with the government aiming to maintain their perfect, harmonious society by limiting the voices that spout ideals different than its own.  <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">The Internet launched for commercial use in China in 1995. The Chinese government was responsible for choosing to join the global network because it saw an opportunity to increase business opportunities worldwide (Tai, 2006). By 1996 the PRC already had designs on censorship, and issued warnings that harmful material would be removed from Chinese cyberspace, and those who posted it would be punished. Harmful material was anything the government believed could harm its citizens or the state and disrupt society; anything from pornography to celebrating western culture was banned (Tai 2006). Since 1998, the Internet has exponentially expanded across the country, with such sheer numbers of users logging on that the Internet has become integrated into the Chinese way of life. With this expansion, the PRC has stepped up its efforts to crack down on "inappropriate" material on the web.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: normal;">While the PRC originally felt that punishing those within the country that broke the ban on harmful material would be enough, it quickly became apparent that due to both the Internets global nature and the development of technologies that made it easier for citizens to develop their own blogs, more oppressive measures were necessary (Tai, 2006; MacKinnon, 2007). By 1999, the government was developing what would become the great firewall, blocking international sites that it deemed harmful. Eventually this list of websites would grow dramatically to include many of the websites we use now, such as Wikipedia, Blogger and some services from Google (Zittrain et al., 2003). The government also sought to crackdown on user-generated con <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: normal;"> tent, like blogs and YouTube, initially banning services that offered the chance for citizens to create (MacKinnon, 2007). Eventually they became more lenient, but in order to cope with this increase in content the government reportedly employs 30,000 workers to constantly monitor the Internet and shut down websites.

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The Effects of Internet Censorship = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">** I. Censorship Restricts Human Rights - Nobel Peace Prize Winner Detained in China ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> The winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo, was unable to attend the award ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Liu was convicted of “subversion of the state” in December of 2009 and is currently serving an 11-year sentence for his involvement in the pro-democracy manifesto Charter ’08, which supports expanded liberties and the end of single-party rule in China. After receiving roughly 10,000 signatures supporting the document, Chinese government blocked its circulation. Liu’s wife was recently allowed to visit him in prison, but was later escorted home by Chinese Police and placed under house arrest. The police have cut off her internet and phone connection and have prohibited her from contacting friends or the media. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Liu has been an advocate for Chinese reform, seeking a pro-democracy system and more civil liberties for the people of China. It is clear that Liu supports reform in China, however the reaction of the people towards Liu’s award is difficult to gauge since the Chinese government has described it as “blasphemy” (nytimes.com) and has blacked out all news pertaining to it. Chinese police also arrested 20 bloggers, lawyers and academics who were celebrating the award at a private banquet in a Beijing restaurant.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> In 1949, a group of Chinese people who opposed the Communist revolution in China fled to the island of Formosa and created the Republic of China, also known as Taiwan. The United Nations and United States recognize Taiwan as the true government of the Chinese people. Taiwan’s reaction to Liu’s Nobel Peace Prize was seen when its President Ma Ying-Jeou called for his release from Chinese prison. “The Republic of China welcomes the Nobel award for Liu Xiaobo and calls on China to release him,” Ma said (Msnbc.com).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> While Liu maybe serving a sentence for his writings and demonstrations, his story can now bring some much needed worldwide attention to the human rights laws that are currently in China. As Liu and other pro-democracy advocates are fighting for Chinese reform, future challenges will remain in China as long as the rights of its people are restricted by their own government.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**II. China's Censorship Impact's on the Globe - The 2008 Beijing Olympics**
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> One relevant example that explains the ways in which China has exploited their strong censorship opinions on the world was seen during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This event posed a huge question for Chinese government officials and would forever alter the global perception of China. As part of China’s commitment to not only their citizens but the world, China promised the International Olympic Committee in 2001 that the commonly seen restrictions and controls would not apply to the Internet access of foreign media and athletes at the 2008 Olympic Games (hrw.org, 2008). Furthermore, in January 2007 the government enacted regulations allowing journalists to travel across the country without registering with local authorities and to interview subjects without official consent (opennet.net,2009).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> All things considered, the Chinese government did a fair job at keeping its promise and spent over $40 billion hosting what many believed to be “the most extravagant” Olympic Games thus far by presenting an open and welcoming environment for athletes, media, foreign dignitaries and visitors (Bristow, 2008). As excerpted from The International Journal of the History of Sport, Victor D. Cha explains how a country must oblige to certain costs in order to host such a prestigious event and the ways this event has impacted China’s strict censorship in the article the ‘Politics and the Olympic Transaction: Measuring China's Accomplishments:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">//“Any country that hosts the Olympic Games must contend with the 'Olympic transaction,' or the costs and benefits of the interna////tional attention that the Games attract. The 'Olympic transaction' for China was that it wanted the chance to showcase its greatness and importance as an international player to the world, but at the same time, the Olympic limelight brought intensified international pressure for political change and greater global responsibility in China. While the 2008 Beijing Olympiad is generally believed to have been one of the most successful and impressive Games in mo////dern history, it remains unclear exactly what effect this global event had on China. It is obvious, however, that the Beijing Games planted that seeds of political change in China, and the world now awaits to see how well these seeds will grow." (Cha, 2008)//

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> While the Beijing Olympics gave China the opportunity to prove to the world that it could comply with the proper reporting of the 2008 Olympic Games by temporarily unblocking certain Web sites and improving access to officials at Olympics venues, it still blocked most all Blogger platforms and even iTunes after Apple reportedly allowed athletes to download a free pro-Tibetan song from its store during the Olympics (Foster, 2008). While the Olympics produced more ‘calmed’ rules for foreign journalists, which were made permanent in October 2008, two months after the Olympic Games; new rules issued in February 2009 now require reporters based in Hong Kong and Macao to apply for permits prior to reporting trips in mainland China and Internet censorship remains more prevalent than ever (opennet.net,2009).

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">The Impact of Censorship = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Today the Chinese government explains its Internet censorship policies as an assertive promotion of free communication while adhering to the set of laws and regulations that uphold the Chinese traditional culture. The Internet is democratizing communication in China while simultaneously prohibiting the spread of information with content subverting state power. Culturally and politically China is experiencing a huge diversification, with one of the largest and fastest growing communities of users the government is concurrently attempting to seize control of the virtual world. The largest concern throughout Internet censorship battle is whether or not it is classified as a direct violation of human rights, which has led to new Internet freedom scales from organizations, but evidence of the censorship creating negative effects on China’s Information and Communication Technology Industry has yet to be discovered.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I. Cultural Impact of Internet Censorship
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The growth of the Internet in China is caught between the forces of economic prosperity and political controls. Researching this topic proves that the Chinese Communist Party goal is to maintain its traditional attitude toward new technologies, which are strictly for strengthening sovereignty and enhancing economic prosperity despite citizens reactions. “Censorship is increasingly unpopular in China and we know how unpopular it is because the government has to keep the guidelines themselves under wraps,” Li Gang, a Chinese citizen, said in an article written by Michael Wines in //The New York Times//. The government attempted to shape public reaction in more ways rather than simply restricting coverage and essentially made the Chinese society appear to be more focused on emphasizing power rather than individual liberty (Wines, 2010). Despite //The New York// //Times// deeming China as one of the most technologically sophisticated countries with a community of web users that is among the most dynamic in the world, the impact that internet censorship is having upon their culture is reaching heights that will eventually become uncontrollable. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In 2008, two Chinese scholars, Lingfei Wu and Dehuan Liu, set out to discover if there was a correlation between Internet u <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">se and support of Chinese web censorship in order to better understand the sudden growth of internet users in China. When the scholars asked the question, “Should the Internet be contro <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">lled by the government?” respondents could say anything between strongly agree and strongly disagree (Thomander, 2008). Results were astounding. Fifty-five percent of those that <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">strongly agreed that the government should control the internet were frequent Internet users, which shows why China seems to be able to grow its web user base so quickly and still maintain strong filtering (Thomander, 2008). Those responding with strongly disagree accounted for 71% of the participants, who were also Internet users, and according to the scholars this revealed that there is a large dissident movement, even if it is only based on opinion and not action (Thomander, 2008).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Now taking into consideration that this experiment was performed nearly three years ago when only one-third of the Chinese population was Internet users: just imagine citizens' reactions today. With the recent revolts taking place in a number of other countries where citizens are demanding the freedom they so rightfully deserve, the Chinese government is determined to censor and withhold any type of information pertaining to the events. Even with the most modern types of technologies blocked, the people of China will find a way to express themselves. The //Times// quoted a Chinese blogger providing his perspective on Internet Censorship, “It is like a water flow—if you block one direction, then it flows to the other directions, or overflows” (James, 2009).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">﻿II. Economic and Political Impact of Internet Censorship
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Aside from the Chinese government controlling users ability to access all depths of the World Wide Web, it is also concurrently and substantially overshadowing some of its potential markets with foreign firms. The global market is extremely competitive and with Internet Censorship being so prevalent, the Chinese are hindering the development of e-businesses and e-commerce. Although China surpassed the United States amount of Internet users, they have the highest monthly costs for broadband use. Censorship also limits the amount of trust given to e-businesses and e-commerce by Internet users and lowers the levels of Internet use and penetration (Wagner, 2009). Despite China’s centralized approach, Censorship of the Internet could widely be argued to be more of a developmental policy because, from an economic standpoint, censorship paved the way for a promotion of technological development as a hallmark of economic growth. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A technological adv <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">ancement achieved because of the Chinese’s strict government rules of censorship was a search engine created in the .cn domain by Google. Plans to launch this were first established in 2005 and finalized in 2007, but due to many disputes, the life of the search engine was not long lived. Google China moved into new offices that occupied several floors of a “gleaming building that appeared as if it were made out of giant whit Lego blocks and glass” (Levy, 2011). As soon as the news broke out, Google China was flooded with resumes and the company’s newest spokesmen visited several universities informing the nation on its most recent economic advancement.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Signs of a distressed relationship arose right from the beginning. Engineer employees were given access to the production code base, but were limited in what they could accomplish while being censored. China and Google had intentionally engineered “rigid restrictions as a form of corporate civil disobedience against their employer’s cooperation with censors” (Levy, 2011). In 2008 a search feature called “Google Suggest” was created that instantly offered fully developed search queries. But later, "Google Suggest" resulted in links that suggested sexual matters. The ties between China and Google were severed in 2010 and the aftermath was not nearly worth the amount of success and opportunity Google had throughout the China. “The incidents that led to Google’s retreat were 'a perturbation' in this movement, mainly because Chinese leaders had reached their limits, but the next generation will come up in less than two years who are younger, more progressive, many American-trained, and many have worked in businesses and run banks—they’re going to be more open” (Levy, 2011). Citizens were sited leaving flowers in front of Google China’s office telling reporters “They should not have given up, they should have kept fighting!” The day can be described as unforgettable for the people of China because of the impact Google left behind economically and politically. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">Group 8 Case Study Video = <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">media type="youtube" key="jSSzXmmvrkQ" height="349" width="425"

=<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">**Conclusion** =

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">China’s attitude toward censorship policy has represented the Chinese government’s five year developmental plan which focuses on China's strategy for economic development in the information age, but it is a problem that stands in the way of open expression and free speech. China's censorship policies are simply control mechanisms set fourth in order to keep their traditional culture alive whilst stressing an "open door policy" to provide analytical exposition that humors modern times. Despite a nation that is still in a developm <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">ental phase in the information world, China has progressively and aggressively pursued information technologies and stands strong with a community of users that has grown with such force that it has surpassed the United States. Collectively, the evidence and research compiled correlates with the ongoing impact of Internet censorship on China’s culture, economy and political growth. Overall the history of Internet Censorship is long with feudal regimes that silence voices with different ideals than their own in hopes of keeping a more “perfect” society at hand. Although, the effects of Internet censorship have resulted in severe violation of human rights and impacting the global perception of China forever, it is ultimately the choice of the Chinese citizens to unite and revolt if change is something they want implemented into their everyday lives.

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