China has always stated that it wants to open its economy to the rest of the world. But its capital, Beijing, keeps a tight grip when it comes to technology and media access. Google’s battle with the Chinese government over Internet censorship has brought international attention to the censorship issues. The censorship in China is gradually becoming more and more undetectable and refined. Advancements in technology are continuously increasing the sophistication of the methods of censorship. Increase in the computing power and advanced network analysis technologies, most of which is purchased from the United States, allow Chinese authorities to control over the content which they find objectionable. While, many of the foreign websites are still available in China, some of the most notable websites, like the BBC, is still banned. Currently, blocking based on keyboards in prevalent, technical refinement of these techniques will continue.
Censorship in China:
The following are some of the restrictions that seem unbelievable, but can cause problems if violated:
Media Policy
The Constitution of China grants its citizens freedom of speech and press, but the opacity of the Chinese media regulation allows the authorities to ban news stories by claiming that they expose state secrets and endanger the peace of the country. It is still vague as to what constitutes “state secret”.
CFR Senior Elizabeth C. stated that the Chinese Government is in a state of “schizophrenia” regarding the media policy as it goes back and forth, knowing they need freedom of press but is worried about opening the door of freedom too much which will lead to the regime’s downfall.
On May 2010, the Government issues the first “white paper” on the internet which focused on the concept of “internet sovereignty”. This required all the internet users of the country, including all the foreign organisations to abide by Chinese rules and regulations. Through this, the internet companies were mandated to sign the “Public Pledge” on self-regulation and Professional Ethics for China Internet Industry than laid down even stricter rules than those in the white paper. Moreover, after Chinese President Xi Jinping came into power, censorships in all forms of media were tightened.
What you Cannot do in China
Surfing the Internet: Not the way you can surf the net when you were at your home. Due to the strict censorship in China regarding the freedom of press and expression, the Internet is controlled almost completely.
Watch foreign movies: Specifically, Hollywood, but not all of them. The Government has laid down a list of the movies that are banned. Around 30 movies are allowed that are shown annually.
Buy books or videos or e-books: There is a filter on what you are allowed to buy or stream. Platforms such as DisneyLife, iBook Store are also banned.
Gambling: Whether this is in casinos or sports or any other type of activity, gambling is strictly prohibited in China. Only Macao, which is an autonomous region, allows you to gamble.
Freedom of the Chinese Media?
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According to the 2016 reports, the Freedom House ranked China last for the second consecutive year out of the sixty-five countries that represent 88% of the world’s internet users.
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France based group Reporters Without Borders ranked China 176 out if 180 countries in its index of freedom of press in 2016.
Chinese media outlets employ their own monitors to ensure political acceptability of their content while censorship guidelines are circulated weekly from the Communist party’s propaganda department to the prominent editors and media providers. Certain websites that are considered to be dangerous by the government like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia are completely blocked or temporarily “blacked out” during the time of controversies. Information that is considered to be a threat to the political stability is also banned which includes ban over controversial photos and videos. The Government is keen on blocking reports which could lead to a social unrest, like corruption, economy, health and environmental scandals.
Websites of Bloomberg news service, the New York Times and other well known international publications have also been blacked out temporarily. The journalists of these sites have been harassed, threatened and their visas have been denied.
Products that require Permission in China
The following are some things that you are allowed to bring but require permission:
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Precious pearls, jewels or metals
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Items that are valued at over 2,000 Chinese Yuan (Rs 23,003)
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Powder substances exceeding 12oz or 350 ml
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Passengers may bring 1500ml or more of alcohol which 12% alcohol content or more
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400 or more cigarettes
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500 grams or more of tobacco
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100 or more cigars.
Overcoming the Censors
Despite the systematic control over the news, the Chinese public has come up with several ways to overcome the censors. Psiphon, Freegate are some of the popular software programs which allow Chinese users to set up proxy servers to avoid any form over control. While the use of VPNs is prevalent, the government control over the systems have led users to come up with other methods, including the insertion of IP addresses in the host files, use of Tor, a free software program for anonymity or SSH tunnels which route all the internet traffic through a remote server. According to the reports, around 1 to 8% to the internet users in China use VPNs and proxy servers to get around the firewalls. Microblogging sites like Weibo have also gained the attention of the Chinese netizen where they can voice their opinions or discuss subjects that are considered taboo otherwise.
In 2014, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt stated that the encryption could help the company penetrate China. However, these steps experienced a setback when authorities cracked down the networking app WeChat, deleting prominent politically liberal accounts.
Conclusion
The Chinese Communist Party has a vast technique to control information, with its most powerful tool being its market size. Almost 54% of the population of China use the Internet and although voices have been raised for freedom of press it seems like people of China do not look at freedom of speech as an abstract ideal but more as a means to an end. The fight for freedom of expression fits into the larger context of growing public attention and social campaigns like corruption and social inequality