THE INTERNET IN CHINA
<
BACKGROUND
There is a nice introduction into the issue at Reporters without Borders:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10749
Wikipedia also has an excellent, broad introduction to the topic here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_mainland_China
Look to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, at http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/147/, which regularly monitors internet censorship in China and provides regular updates on some of the latest event involving online dissidents and "hacktivists." Explore some links, but in particular be sure to read the alert for September 21(about the recent arrest of some cyber-dissidents).
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School recently published a study, under its OpenNet Initiative, called Internet Filtering in China 2004-2005, which is a systematic study of internet filtering by the Chinese authorities (including an outline of the relevant legal regulations in mainland China) and an empirical analysis of exactly what information is censored. You can find the study here: http://www.opennetinitiative.net/studies/china/ONI_China_Country_Study.pdf
SELF-CENSORSHIP & GOOGLE
A very brief introduction to the matter here:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jan/06012503.html
Here you can read what Google has to say in the words of some of its representatives:
From Andrew McLaughlin, Senior Policy Counsel, Google Inc.
From Elliot Schrage, Vice President, Global Communications and Public Affairs, Google Inc.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/testimony-internet-in-china.html
This blog article entitled Google’s Ethical Dilemma in China defends Google’s actions by reference to some well-known philosophical theories of normative ethics:
http://xambezi.com/blog/2006/09/26/googles-ethical-dilemma/
Question: do you agree with what Google is doing, and with their reasoning for doing it?
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Read this very short introduction
to the issue of Western companies aiding the censorship of the internet in
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/56591/
Also read this interesting blog entry about Cisco systems selling networking and filtering equipment to the Chinese authorities:
http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2005/07/my_conversation.html
Question: do you agree with what companies like Cisco are doing, and with their reasoning for doing it?
MISCELLANEOUS
Here is an interesting article
about a phenomenon in
Article about cartoon cyber cops
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06031008.html
Return to the syllabus