Restrictions on Internet Services in China

I just read a January 2006 Business Week article that Amin posted on our Group Discussion Board entitled "How China Controls the Internet." Practically all of the points made in the article apply to today as well. It's a known fact that discussion forums and social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are banned in China. Yet, it's quite interesting to see how dependent the Chinese Communist Party is on US multinationals to help them impose these restrictions. A few weeks prior to when this article was written, Microsoft officials were requested by government officials to terminate a Chinese citizen's blog. This inevitably resulted in criticism by bloggers and activists, who believe it is not the responsibility of these US companies to assist the Chinese police in enforcing its policy of controlling information flow. It is amazing that in this age of globalization, western IT companies are helping the Chinese government overcome its paranoia by conceding to its undemocratic demands. Nicholas Bequelin, the China research director for Human Rights Watch in Hong Kong, believes that "that is the cost of doing business in China." If they don't cooperate, any Chinese company can refuse to provide them with information from within. Nevertheless, Bequelin goes on to say that "the vilification of companies for being complicit is self-defeating." They're putting their business interests before human rights, thereby assisting the police suppress political dissent. Even if they do pull out, local companies will take over the industry. According to Bequelin, the only solution is that US multinationals must abide by their corporate responsibility charters and codes of conduct, or comply with UN global norms for business. But China will face some concern if these measures are implemented by several corporations. So how is the Chinese government so successful in its endeavor? Well, the fact that it has ownership rights allows it to censor any content being read or watched on the Net. The web site editors of local companies publish only what is approved. The article finally examines the benzene spill in northeast China in December 2005 that contaminated the water supply of Harbin and the criticism of the Party that followed on online discussion boards. Since this was all being archived by the authorities, Bequelin is sure the censors will receive these posts and they will be wiped out in a couple of months, after which there will be no talk of it. While similar conditions exist in the country today, more and more individuals, especially educators, are finding it difficult to work around the blockade.
As per a 2010 article entitled "For Chinese Academics, 'Great Fire Wall' Hinders Networking With Colleagues," which appeared in The Chronicle, numerous professors at Beijing Normal University are temporarily using Google Groups, which is blocked by the Chinese nationwide Internet filters. The writer, Jeff Young, suggests they need to devise an encrypted private network that makes it appear as though they are in a different country. Yet, the bottom line is while the government is increasing its efforts to regulate the Web, frustration is growing amongst the populace.