Social Education 71(3), pp 158–162 ©2007 National Council for the Social Studies Looking at the Law The Great Firewall of China Shawn Healy Senators John McCain and John Kyl, both Arizona Republicans, argue that Of the websites blocked by Chinese the Internet by its very nature promotes grassroots democracy. In an op-ed piece they censors, pornographic sites lead the wrote, “By enabling discussion, debate and criticism of our governments, the Internet list (39 percent), followed by mention allows us to practice in cyberspace the essence of democracy.” 1 Their comments were of major historical events (14 percent), directed toward the Communist Party in China and American technology companies hate speech (13 percent), gay and lesbian that enable and execute government censorship in the digital realm. sites (11 percent) and email providers (10 percent). Sex education sites (8 percent), Although China has made notable preferred path isn’t paved in black and gambling sites (8 percent), those that progress in liberalizing its economy over white, although the information super- sell provocative attire (6 percent), news the past three decades, the Communist highway itself may ultimately provide outlets (6 percent) and sites enabling the Party maintains a stranglehold on politi- the answers. China appears to be fighting circumvention of censors (5 percent, see cal freedom, and in no place is this more a losing battle in an increasingly inter- below) complete the list.11 apparent than the roadblocks it places on connected world that outwits the censors In the second half of 2004, for example, the Information Superhighway. Indeed, from near and afar. police closed more than 1,400 porno- according to Reporters Without Borders, graphic websites and arrested 420 people China stands as “... the world’s most The Great Firewall as a result. Another 700 gambling suspects advanced country in Internet filtering.”2 Dubbed the “Golden Shield,” the were arrested in a similar crackdown in Of the 55 online dissidents imprisoned Chinese Internet censorship system does 2005.12 Last June, homosexual websites worldwide, 48 are detained in China.3 not aim for complete control, but only were purged by a mainland domain China has an estimated 137 million to prevent “major breaches in the fire- company under pressure from the police. citizens who access the Internet, sec- wall.” Specifically, the Chinese National One administrator protested: “It is great ond only to the United States.4 While People’s Congress claims it is criminal to humiliation to classify all gay forums ... as 92 percent of Chinese citizens have not “incite subversion,” “divulge state secrets” pornography, adult-only, and sex forums.” gone online, analysts predict 400 mil- or “organize cults” on the Internet. Such Many such sites are dedicated to sex edu- lion mainland web users over the next laws are necessary “to promote the good cation, providing methods for condom decade.5 From 2001 through 2004 alone and eliminate the bad, encourage the usage and HIV knowledge.13 the percentage of the Chinese population healthy development of the Internet Sites that reveal official corruption are accessing the Internet nearly tripled, from (and) safeguard the security of the State also targeted by state censors. On January 2.57 percent to 7.23 percent.6 and the public interest.”7 8, 2007, Xiamen police blocked access The essay that follows describes in Policies target pornographic websites to a site that revealed local corruption detail China’s censorship machine, the along with sites critical of the Communist and monitored city politics. It reportedly reaction of its citizenry to this arsenal and Party, including other governments, published “bad information.”14 the complicity of American companies religious groups and political organi- The censorship regime is executed in enabling the process. Does admit- zations.8 This extends to sites related by both public and private entities. The tance to the world’s largest market trump to freedom in Tibet, Taiwanese inde- Chinese government, through nine state- concerns about unencumbered access pendence and the Tiananmen Square licensed companies, employs between to information? Some companies have Massacre.9 Moreover, one encounters 30,000 to 35,000 members of an Internet struck deals with the proverbial devil an error message when trying to access police force who effectively block access (Google, Microsoft, Yahoo), while others Wikipedia or BBC Chinese language to thousands of sites.15 Additionally, 11 have stuck to their guns (Wikipedia). The news service.10 leading news websites in China enforce S OCIAL E DUCATION 158 the principles established by President and Secretary General Hu Jintau, a new concept of socialist morality labeled the “Eight Honors and Disgraces.” The policy states, “We are in stern opposition to indecent on-line messages that under- mine public morality and the cultures and fine traditions of the Chinese people. No indecent texts and photos, no search engines for such content, no links to inde- cent websites, and no games involving sex and violence.” 16 Chinese Internet patrols secured pledges of self-censorship from 43 Beijing-based websites resulting in the closure of more than 200 chat rooms and the deletion of 1.5 million comments in April 2005 alone. 17 According to New York Times writer Olive Thompson, “One mistake Westerners frequently make about China is to assume that the government is furtive about its censorship. On the contrary, the party is quite matter- of-fact about it—proud, even.” The government went so far as to introduce two anime-style cartoon characters, “Jingjing” and “Chacha,” in order “to publicly remind all ‘Netizens’ to be conscious of safe and healthy use of the Internet, self-regulate their online behavior and maintain harmonious Internet order together.” This places A sign posted at the entrance of an Internet cafe reads: “You should not spread antisocial the burden of censorship on the users material on the Internet” (top), and “Please come with me because you published materi- als to harm the unity of the nation” (bottom), in Beijing, China, July 20, 2006. themselves, and reinforces the classic (AP Photo /Elizabeth Dalziel) truth that “self-censorship is always far more comprehensive than formal one such locale. Zhang Guobia, party According to Ji Chenchen, another censorship.” 18 secretary of the surrounding Fangshan student moderator: “Our job consists Internet cafes are immensely popular County, implemented a ban in the of guidance, not control. Our bulletin amongst China’s youth, mostly because spring of 2006 under the assumption board’s character is that of an official they are unable to afford home comput- that “Internet cafes bring more harm website, which means it represents the ers.19 The cafes themselves are a criti- than good to young people.” Zhang school. This means that no topics related cal component in the state censorship claims that “the harm to children is no to politics may appear.” machinery. The establishments employ less than drugs.”22 Students show surprise when the security guards to monitor the activity Censorship also lurks in China’s insti- details of the system are revealed. of online patrons by watching closed- tutions of higher learning. Initiated by According to one male undergraduate: circuit televisions linked to the local Shanghai Normal University and staffed “Five hundred members sounds unbe- police station. They use software called by an all-volunteer corps of 500 fel- lievable. It feels very weird to think that Internet Detective to record site visits, low students, the body is known as the there are 500 people out there anony- emails, and message boards.20 Licenses “harmful-information defense system.” mously trying to guide you.” are required to operate the cafes; 47,000 Students like Hu Yingying enter online Another student was more supportive were closed in 2004 alone for failure to bulletin boards and act as “part traffic of their efforts: “A bulletin board is like meet this requirement.21 cop, part informer, part discussion mod- a family, and in a family, I want my room Moreover, local bans have resulted erator—and all without the knowledge to be clean and well-lighted, without in across-the-board closings. Gedong is of her fellow students....” dirty or dangerous things in it.” 23 A PRIL 2 0 0 7 159 Web Logs Bloom formidable companies as Cisco Systems, This coziness with the Chinese censors China’s surveillance of the Internet Sun Microsystems and 3Com for filter- invoked the wrath of the United States reaches into the exploding world of web ing purposes.30 More extensive relation- Congress last February. Representative logs. All bloggers must register with the ships exist between Yahoo, Microsoft Tom Lantos (D-CA) was among the fierc- government and filter tools block sub- and Google, and this is where the true est critics. During congressional hearings, versive word strings.24 Moreover, private controversy lies. he opined, “I simply don’t understand companies that host these web logs are Yahoo was the first American Internet how your corporate leadership [Cisco, pressured to maintain a level of decorum company to enter the Chinese market Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google] sleeps managed by a staff of site moderators.25 in 1999. They misunderstood Chinese at night.”35 Yet 17.5 million Chinese citizens blog culture from the beginning, failing to real- Representatives of the cornered nonetheless, and 75 million consult these ize that Chinese citizens rarely rely on companies insisted that their actions sites for information relevant to pop cul- email, finding such messages impersonal. are based upon two suboptimal choices. ture and occasionally political stories. Instead, they prefer cell phones and text Michael Callahan, senior vice president Qiao Ho, a Chinese teacher, reads and messaging along with live chat rooms. and general counsel for Yahoo, argued, contributes to web logs to learn “..