Strict internet censorship in China

Description

Internet censorship in China is among the most stringent in the world. The government blocks Web sites that discuss the Dalai Lama, the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters and Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement, among other Internet sites.

In June 2009, the government announced that starting July 1 mandatory new software would be installed on all new Chinese-made computers that would effectively monitor a user's every move.

Enablers

• Fifty Cent Party
  • The party sets out to neutralize undesirable public opinion by pushing pro-Party views through chat rooms and Web forums, reporting dangerous content to authorities. By some estimates, these commentary teams now comprise as many as 280,000 members nationwide
• International internet companies, such as Skype and Google, change their service to allow Chinese government to monitor users' behavior and opinion on the internet.

Inhibitors

• Recession
• Decrease in national GDP/ GDP growth rate

Paradigms

• Decrease in attractiveness of China as a location for large-scale manufacturing investment
  • Shift to cheaper sites within Asia Pacific such as Thailand, the Philippines or India
• Increasing importance of Total Cost of Ownership
  • More difficult for companies to successfully determine sourcing costs
• The world's largest economy feeling the pains of inflation
• Western countries such as the US will no longer be able to count on cheap Chinese imports to help control inflation

Web Resources

1. "Internet Censorship in China", The New York Times
2. "China’s Guerrilla War for the Web", Far Eastern Economic Review
3. " Chinese censorship of internet 'unacceptable': EU", EUbisness

Revision History

September

2009

Created by Chia Wei Lee