China Strengthens Internet Lockdown

ke4roh writes: "Reuters reports that China is 'boosting supervision and control' of online publishing, as reported by state newspapers. The Chinese Communist Party's control faces an unprecedented threat from present-day internet activity, the article says. Some key subjects to avoid: Tibet, Falun Gong, democracy in China, and porn."

Spam!

[wheany]

Just lock it tight enought to not let any SPAM trough, and I'll be happy.

P2P?

[4of12]

So I wonder if P2P networks be used to disseminate information that is regarded as politically incorrect?

Honestly, the promotion of free expression is more a gift of the academic origins of the internet than of the corporate uptake of it.

If we'd all been networked via bulletin board systems like AOL, Prodigy and MSN, there'd have been a lot less freedom of expression than there is now.

Re:P2P?

[John Hasler]

Honestly, the promotion of free expression is
more a gift of the academic origins of the
internet than of the corporate uptake of it.

You evidently weren't around when NSF was in control.

If we'd all been networked via bulletin board
systems like AOL, Prodigy and MSN, there'd have
been a lot less freedom of expression than there
is now.

If we'd all been networked via a descendant of UUCP, there'd have been a lot more freedom of expression than there is now.

No panacea in itself

[xixax]

If the firewalling is at all effective, it may be the easiest way to disseminate information. But possessing such software or engaging in suspicious patterns of network activity (not using port 80 to connect to approved domains, etc) are going to get people in as much trouble. Hence the interest in things such as steganography. It'll also stick out more if the corporations manage to squash P2P as a haven for copyright violators, the haystack will be that much smaller.

We recently had a presentation from a company that sells software used to spot suspicious insurance claims. I can't see any reason why the same methods [netmap.com.au] couldn't be applied to spotting suspicious patterns of Internet usage (provided people are not able to do things like use 'net Cafes anonymously).

I'm really glad we're not living in that kind of world yet...

Xix.

One of these links is not like the other...

[torinth]

Some key subjects to avoid: Tibet [tibet.org], Falun Gong [fofg.org], democracy in China [chinasite.com], and porn.

What, no link for the last one?

-Andrew

weapon race

[jilles]

It was a weapon race that brought down the soviet communist system and it will be a weapon race on the internet that will bring down the communist system in China.

Forced by economic circumstances, (they have over a billion mouths to feed), they have been changing their economic system. The changes include reducing government influence in some area, allowing for private companies and reducing corruption. However it also means connecting to the internet. If you want to do business with the west you need to be able to send and receive email, shop using ecommerce sites, etc. That implies adopting a massive network infrastructure and using it. China is doing that. However, that also means opening the door to uninvited internet activity: free speech.

China tries to block, the technology evolves, china tries to block harder, .... The end is predictable & inevitable (resistance is futile ... :-), China will face the choice to either disconnect or lighten up. The sooner they make that choice the better it is for them. As long as they don't make the choice they are falling behind. That will hurt them economically.

Nice post

[marcus]

Nice to hear another voice with an understanding of the situation. Many people have been up in arms about our trade agreements with China without realizing that we are attacking them with the most powerful and simultaneously the most subtle, indefensible and well directed weapon(no "collateral damage") we have.

If we dropped trade with China, it would be the equivalent of ordering our troops to stop fighting while in the middle of a battlefield.

License

[Steve Cox]

Scary that the websites need a license. Imaging trying to do that on a global scale. How many hours would it take to scan + license the pages in google?

I see that China Daily [chinadaily.com.cn] is licensed as number 20100000002731 [chinadaily.com.cn] - they actually put a scan of the license on the site.

Steve.

On Tibet,

[ke4roh]

Lewis M. Simmons offered this insight in a recent National Geographic article (teaser [nationalgeographic.com]): China would no sooner cede Tibet to Tibetans than the U.S. would cede South Dakota to the Sioux.

Re:On Tibet,

[aminorex]

The tibetans don't even want to leave China.
Ask the Dalai Lama if you don't believe me.
The real issue is that vajrayana buddhism is being
suppressed, a hereditary caste system is being
imposed, and there is no freedom of dissent under
the current Han regime. Fix those problems, and
Tibet can be a happy province of greater China.
Until then, expect resistance and "terrorism".

But it's really an unfair comparison, since South
Dakota is not a border state.