"Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has exerted
great effort in manipulating the flow of information and prohibiting the dissemination
of viewpoints that criticize the government or stray from the official Communist
party view. The introduction of Internet technology in the mid-1990’s presented a
challenge to government control over news sources, and by extension, over public
opinion. While the Internet has developed rapidly, broadened access to news, and
facilitated mass communications in China, many forms of expression online, as in
other mass media, are still significantly stifled.
 "Empirical studies have found that China has one of the most sophisticated content-filtering Internet regimes in the world. The Chinese government employs
increasingly sophisticated methods to limit content online, including a combination
of legal regulation, surveillance, and punishment to promote self-censorship, as well
as technical controls. U.S. government efforts to defeat Internet “jamming” include
funding through the Broadcasting Board of Governors to provide counter-censorship software to Chinese Iternet users to access Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) in China.
"As U.S. investments in China and bilateral trade have surged in the past several
years and China has developed its communications infrastructure, Chinese society
has undergone rapid changes while the PRC government has continued to repress
political dissent. Many U.S. observers, including government officials, have argued
that economic openness and the growth of the Internet in China would help bring
about political liberalization in China. However, contrary to facilitating freedom,
some private U.S. companies have been charged with aiding or complying with
Chinese Internet censorship. Private U.S. companies that provide Internet hardware,
such as routers, as well as those that provide Internet services such as Web-log (blog) hosting or search portals, have been accused of ignoring international standards for freedom of expression when pursuing business opportunities in the PRC market.
"In the 108th Congress, the provisions of the “Global Internet Freedom Act” (H.R.
48) were subsumed into the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 2004-05 (H.R. 1950) and passed by the House on July 16, 2003. Christopher Cox reintroduced the bill (H.R. 2216) to the 109th Congress in May 2005. If passed, the act would
authorize $50 million for FY2006 and FY2007 to develop and implement a global
Internet freedom policy. The act would also establish an office within the
International Broadcasting Bureau with the sole mission of countering Internet
jamming by repressive governments. On February 1, 2006, the Congressional
Human Rights Caucus held a hearing entitled, “Human Rights and the Internet —
The People’s Republic of China.” On February 15, 2006, the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations of the House International
Relations Committee will hold a joint hearing with the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific regarding the Internet and censorship in China."
- CRS Report to Congress, Internet Development and Information Control in the People's Republic of China, Executive Summary (Feb 2006) PDF 
Papers
News
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- Cyberprotest of CNN called off (for now), CNET 4/21/2008
- CNN cyberattack called off, CW 4/21/2008
- China censorship workarounds: 'To post or not to post?', CNET 4/8/2008
- China - China urged to go beyond charm offensive and unblock thousands of websites - 5.04.2008, Reporters Without Boarders 4/8/2008
- Cyber Attacks Target Pro-Tibet Groups, Wash Post 3/25/2008
- China - Crackdown in Tibet away from the eye of the media in new violation of Olympics pledge - 17.03.2008, Reporters Without Boarders 3/20/2008
- China Blocks YouTube After Videos of Tibet Protests Are Posted, NYT 3/17/2008
- China overtakes U.S. as top Web market, Globe and Mail 3/13/2008
- China - Detained cyber-dissident has been on hunger strike for nearly 80 days - 27.02.2008, Reporters Without Boarders 2/28/2008
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- China Blocks YouTube During Major Political Event, Tech Daily Dose 10/23/2007
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- China Denies US Accusations of Cyber-Espionage, Ecommerce Times 9/12/2007
- Yahoo Asks Court In U.S. to Dismiss Suit Over China, Wash Post 8/29/2007
- China seeks real-name registration for bloggers, America's Network 8/24/2007
- Censors powerless against the Net, Globe and Mail 8/14/2007
- China city to tighten internet controls, FT 7/10/2007
- China Denies US Accusations of Cyber-Espionage, Ecommerce Times
- China Bars Establishment Of New Internet Cafés in 2007, NY Sun 6/5/2007
- China to use Marxism to clean-up Internet, Focus News 4/24/2007
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- Cyber cafe freeze, Sydney 3/8/2007
- State Dept. Human Rights Report Faults China's Curbs on Internet, Wash Post 3/8/2007
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- China Internet market grows to 137 million users, Info World 1/23/2007
- Companies, Groups Address Global Civil Liberties Challenges, CDT 1/19/2007
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- China's blogging population reaches 20 million, Internet News 1/12/2007
- Repairs finally begin on Internet cables, Bangkok Post 1/5/2007
- Emergency measures in Hong Kong after Web chaos, AFP 1/3/2007
- China says Internet services to return by January 15, America's Network 1/3/2007
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- China 'crackdown on online games', BBC 12/12/2006
- Group: Journalists jailed more in China, USA Today 12/8/2006
- China 'unblocks' Wikipedia site, BBC 11/17/2006
- Chinese Government Relaxes Its Total Ban on Wikipedia, NYT 10/17/2006
- Chinese censors target web spoofs, Guardian 8/15/2006
- Western Internet firms "act as censors" in China, USA Today 8/11/2006
- Google in China, Becker Posner Blog 7/28/2006
- Groups urge passage of online free speech law, America's Network 7/21/2006
- China unblocks search engines of popular Chinese portals, AFP 6/21/2006
- Yahoo cited in jailing of China Internet writer, Reuters 4/28/2006
- Chinese Internet writer sentenced to 12 years, Reuters 5/16/2006
- As Chinese Students Go Online, Little Sister Is Watching, NYT 5/9/2006
- Skype says texts are censored by China, MSNBC 4/20/2006
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- Don't cave to Beijing on Internet, Zanesville Times Recorder 2/28/2006
- China Revamps Internet Domain Name System, ITU 2/28/2006
- Huge new wave of blogging in China, IHT 11/29/2005
- China reportedly shuts down blog, USA Today 11/4/2005
- China tightens noose on media with new Web rules, Express India 9/20/2005
- China defends new Internet restrictions, Forbes 9/20/2005
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- Korea, China, Japan Agree to Tackle Internet Troubles, Korean Times 8/19/2005
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- China Orders All Web Sites to Register, AP 6/7/2005
- Chinese blogs face restrictions, BBC 6/7/2005
- Chinese control Internet by sophisticated means, IHT 4/15/2005
- China's Giant Pandas Get Broadband, Reuters 4/5/2005
- China uses Internet to oppose Japan's UN bid, Standard 4/1/2005
- Chinese Censors and Web Users Match Wits, NYT 3/4/2005
- China net cafe culture crackdown, BBC 2/15/2005
- China shuts 12,500 'illegal' cybercafes, Register 2/15/2005
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- China fearful of net, Register 1/7/2005
- China Bans Video Game for Breach of Sovereignty, Reuters 12/7/2004
- China leads world on broadband, BBC 10/5/2004
- China Cracking Down on Internet Cafes, CNET 11/3/2004
- China Urges ISPs to Pledge 'Patriotism' (AP), 6/21/2004
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- China to censor text messages, BBC 7/2/2004
- Fifteenth Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, World Press 6/4/2004
- China closes down 16,000 Internet cafes in three months, AFP 6/4/2004
- China censors online video games, BBC 6/1/2004
- China bans game for 'distorting history', SMH 6/1/2004
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- China pulls plug on two blog sites, CNET 3/18/2004
- China mobiles outstrip landlines, BBC 1/8/2004
- China internet dissident arrested, BBC 2/18/2004
- China's Web surfers swell to 79.5 million, CNET 1/15/2004
- China internet dissidents freed, BBC 12/2/2003
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- Chinese censor online chat, BBC 5/19/03
- China Jails Web Dissidents, BBC 5/30/03
- China Jails Two for Running Internet Cafe, AP 4/28/03
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- China opens web to the West, BBC 3/17/03
- China Sentences American to 3 Years for Hacking Broadcast, NYT 3/21/03
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- Internet dissident jailed, ZDNet 2/19/03
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- China fumes at Taiwan's involvement in conference, Taipei Times 1/15/03
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- China blocks news not porn online, BBC 12/4/02
- China censors democracy websites, Guardian 12/4/02
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- How China Is Making the Pen as Mighty as the PC, Wash Post 12/4/02
- China slammed for jailing Internet users, CNN 12/2/02
- Hackers may get U.S. funds to fight China's Web curbs MSNBC 11/5/02
- China eases restrictions on .cn CNET 10/30/02
- China bars minors from Internet cafes NUA 10/15/02
- China's 'Great Firewall' limits Internet, IHT 10/1/02
- China arrests Web writer for subversion, CNET 9/26/02
- China Ends Google Block, USA Today 9/13/02
- Chinese government backs down on Google, Guardian 9/13/02
- China Hijacks Google's Domain Name, IDG 9/10/02
- China's Web firms gain as Google loses, IHT 9/10/02
- China blocks second search website, BBC 9/6/02
- China Blocks Google Search Engine, AP 9/4/02
- Google fights Chinese ban, bbc 9/4/02
- Google inaccessible in China, CNET 9/4/02
- China third in Internet usage, CNEWS 8/2/02
- China Shuts Down 14,000 Internet Cafes, Reuters 7/29/02
- China Claims 3rd Place In World Net Usage, MSNBC 7/24/02
- China Internet Use Grows, BBC 7/24/02
- China signs Net access pact, CNET 7/17/02
- Net watchdog blasts China Web rules, CNET 7/17/02
- Beijing Net cafes shuttered after fire, CNET 6/17/02
- Censoring the Internet: The Situation in Turkey, First Monday 6/5/02
- Shanghai Cybercafes Shut Down, BBC 5/6/02
- Chinese authorities shut down 200 Internet bars, USA Today 5/6/02
- China allows access to some news organizations' Web sites, Nando 5/17/02
- China to get tough with 'harmful' Internet content, Agence France-Presse 5/3/02
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- Net access leaders look into China, CNET 3/21/02
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- China Issues Internet Controls, AP 1/18/02
- China issues new Internet controls, MSNBC 1/18/02
- China issues strict Internet, e-mail controls , USA Today 1/18/02
- China orders Net providers to Screen email, CNN 1/18/02
- China amends trademark law to combat piracy, Times India 10/30/01
- China replaces Web site barriers, CNET 10/22/01
- BBC News Online blocked at Apec (China), BBC 10/18/01
- China eases online restrictions, CNET 10/18/01
- China unblocks news sites as leaders gather, CNN 10/18/01
- Chinese Net trial Begins, CNEWS 9/28/01
- Chinese lawyer sentenced for e-mailing dissident journal, Nando 9/17/01
- China makes first arrest of Net hacker, CNET 9/14/01
- China Shuts Down College BBS, Wired 9/5/01
- China tries Webmaster, CNET 8/17/01
- Cisco connects with China, CNET 8/24/01
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- China Shuts Down 2,000 Internet Cafes, Paper Says, Reuters 7/20/01
Hong Kong
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