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Frequently asked questions
- Will I stay anonymous if I test a site?
- Who is censoring?
- How does Internet censoring work?
- Is only the Internet being censored?
- Will Internet censorship ever change?
- How do the people of China counter this?
- What about Wikipedia?
- Can Internet censorship happen here?
- Why should I be bothered?
- Will this site be blocked as well, eventually?
- Are Western companies engaging in censorship in China?
- Are you associated with any human rights organisation?
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 café,
is obliged to register beforehand.
This ‘voluntary compliance’ with existing regulations can have major consequences. According to ‘Reporters Sans Frontières’, 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 find Jiang.