Presented by: Cate Krasner

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Internet Censorship in China

• Presented by Cate Krasner

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Golden Shield Projectaka The Great Firewall of
China

• Launched in 1998
• Blocks content by preventing IP addresses from
  being routed through
• Consists of a standard firewall and proxy servers
  at the Internet gateways of China's ISPs
• Blacklisting of websites is mostly ad-hoc and
  unsystematic, but constantly evolving

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What is Censored?

• Simulator 1

Side by Side Simulator
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Timeline 2009-10

• January 09 launches a crackdown on "vulgar"
  websites including Google that it says have
  failed to censor inappropriate content.
• March 09 YouTube blocked after it shows footage
  of police beating Tibetans in Lhasa (Lies)
• June 09 Twitter, Flickr, and Hotmail blocked
  in anticipation of 20th anniversary of Tiananmen
  Square brutality
• Mid-June 09 Public outcry when the government
  announces PC makers MUST install its Green Dam,
  its comprehensive censorship and surveillance
  software
• January 10 Google announces their withdrawal
  from China due to cyber attacks only relocates
  to Hong Kong in hopes of non-censorship
• June-July 10 Google softens its stance and
  China renews its license

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(No Transcript)
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Green Dam Youth Escort

• Chinese government mandates that every PC sold
  after July 1st, 2009 must have Green Dam
  censorware embedded
• Dual Purposes Monitor activity and Censor
  certain material automatic reporting to
  authorities in some cases
• Three Types of filters
• Image Filter
• Text filter
• URL Filter
• Not yet mandatory, deadline not enforced

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The Fifty-Cents Party

• Government-paid Internet commentators that seek
  to sway public opinion in favor of government
• Derogatory name derives from their purported
  payment of 50 cents per positive posting
• Massive expansion of hiring, almost 300,000
  Internet commentators employed
• In addition to censorship, China is moving
  towards increased information management as well

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• Yunnan Propaganda official showered with 50 cent
  notes during speech
• April 2010

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Resistance

• Fian Qiang, translates to circumventing the
  firewall
• Abbreviations and Creation of New Characters
• ?? Brick, but in internet slang means a
  criticism
• ?? River crab, is a pun on harmonious, mocking
  government
• Vertical blogging
• Left to Right and Vertical writing does not tip
  off censors
• Peer-to-Peer software allows a savvy user to
  download their own private VPN
• These enabling sites are blocked everyday,
  however, mirror sites or copycats abound

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Liu Xiaobo

• Charter 08 published
• Sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion
• Liu Xiaobo flagged as keyword
• Oct 2010 awarded Nobel Peace Prize
• Coverage on CNN and BBC blocked