The invention of the Internet has resulted in opportunities to communicate and collaborate with different people all around the world. The ability to post something on the Internet and have someone you have never met before interact with it is quite amazing. However, by putting restrictions on what users can post online limits the potential of what a person can achieve. China is a country that has dealt with government restrictions for a long time. The ability to be individualistic online is limited when in a communist country like China.
In my first article, Internet Café Fire Blamed on Govt. Crackdown, it talked about the dangers involved in running and participating in illegal internet café. An Internet Café called “Lanjisu” was open …show more content…
The Freedom House is a U.S. Government organization that conducts research on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Paula Schrieffer, director of advocacy at the Freedom House said that “Internet freedom and free access to information are not simply luxuries but critical avenues for advancing democratic reforms and enabling the Chinese people to protect themselves and their families from threats such as tainted food or environmental pollution.” (House, 2010) The Communist Party is restricting sites like Twitter and Facebook to stop unsupervised political discussions, yet the Chinese people need these resources to protect their own livelihood. Along with sites like Twitter and Facebook government is also cracking down on anonymous posting online. In 2009 and 2010 according to the Freedom House’s survey of political rights and civil liberties, China ranked as not free, and this mainly has to do with the restrictions set on the …show more content…
The guidelines are primarily target at a Twitter-like service called “Sina Weibo.” Sina Weibo has over 300 million users, as of 2012, so these new guidelines will affect an enormous number of users. Under pressure from the government Sina Weibo sent out a new user contract that forbids posting material that is “untrue,” "threatens the honor of the nation," "promotes evil teachings, or "destroys societal stability." Users must accept the new contract before they can go back to posting on the site. Web users did not positively take these new guidelines, as they felt it limited their freedom of speech, but when others were asked they simply said that these new guidelines would hardly change how they post on the site. Per these users, the new guidelines put restrictions that are already present into official writing, so it would not affect the way they post. Along with the new guidelines, Sina Weibo, along with their “rumor control team,” will collaborate with the government censors to stop online
In my first article, Internet Café Fire Blamed on Govt. Crackdown, it talked about the dangers involved in running and participating in illegal internet café. An Internet Café called “Lanjisu” was open …show more content…
The Freedom House is a U.S. Government organization that conducts research on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Paula Schrieffer, director of advocacy at the Freedom House said that “Internet freedom and free access to information are not simply luxuries but critical avenues for advancing democratic reforms and enabling the Chinese people to protect themselves and their families from threats such as tainted food or environmental pollution.” (House, 2010) The Communist Party is restricting sites like Twitter and Facebook to stop unsupervised political discussions, yet the Chinese people need these resources to protect their own livelihood. Along with sites like Twitter and Facebook government is also cracking down on anonymous posting online. In 2009 and 2010 according to the Freedom House’s survey of political rights and civil liberties, China ranked as not free, and this mainly has to do with the restrictions set on the …show more content…
The guidelines are primarily target at a Twitter-like service called “Sina Weibo.” Sina Weibo has over 300 million users, as of 2012, so these new guidelines will affect an enormous number of users. Under pressure from the government Sina Weibo sent out a new user contract that forbids posting material that is “untrue,” "threatens the honor of the nation," "promotes evil teachings, or "destroys societal stability." Users must accept the new contract before they can go back to posting on the site. Web users did not positively take these new guidelines, as they felt it limited their freedom of speech, but when others were asked they simply said that these new guidelines would hardly change how they post on the site. Per these users, the new guidelines put restrictions that are already present into official writing, so it would not affect the way they post. Along with the new guidelines, Sina Weibo, along with their “rumor control team,” will collaborate with the government censors to stop online