China fortifies Great Firewall with crackdown on VPNs
Summary: Previously in China a relatively easy way to get around their strict internet policies was to have your own private internet server, also known as a VPN. Under China's new laws it is illegal to have a VPN without explicit permission from the government. The Great Firewall prevents Chinese people from viewing sensitive information, giving the government power over all the media its citizens consume. Sites like Google and Facebook are also blocked. This internet censorship has been highly controversial worldwide since the 1990s.
Analysis: Censorship is a powerful tool for manipulating the masses. In this age the internet is an essential source of information. By not allowing Chinese citizens access to information about things like Tibet or the Tiananmen Square protests, the government effectively asserts its power. This can be synthesized to the assassination of Osama Bin Laden where it was agreed that pictures of his body should not be shown in the media.
I think we often forget how badly Chinese citizens are being manipulated, and because of that, you could say we're being manipulated too. I am not only worried for the people of China, but also any country that gets any ideas from them.
ReplyDelete-Anna Czyzewski