There Are Echoes of China in Today’s America
We are troubled by how often lately we experience a strange sort of China-related déjà vu when following events in the U.S.
Facebook Is Trying Everything to Re-Enter China—and It’s Not Working
Since regulators blocked the service in 2009, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has hired well-connected executives, developed censorship tools and taken a ‘smog jog’ in Beijing—but the company has made no visible headway.
Chinese Send Fake Trump Tweets as Jokes, New Year Wishes
In China, Twitter is blocked but fake tweets by @realdonaldtrump look set to become the latest internet sensation.
Forget Xi’s ‘Defense’ of Globalization. China Just Fortified the Great Firewall.
Over the weekend, China announced a new, year-long crackdown on “unauthorized Internet connections.”
Apple Removes New York Times App in China
Company says it will not offer news site in app store because it has been told by Beijing it is in ‘violation of local regulations’
China’s Digital Dictatorship
Turn the spotlight on the rulers, not the ruled: Instead of rating citizens, the government should be allowing them to assess the way it rules
Popular Chinese Muslim Website Down After Posting Letter Critical of Xi
Users of China Muslim Net say they have been unable to access the website since Saturday
China is Censoring People’s Chats Without Them Even Knowing About It
Censorship in WeChat group chats is prevalent, and is done so that the sender isn’t even aware a piece of text has been scrubbed
Why Facebook’s China Adventure Will Need More than Censorship to Succeed
As social network develops tools to restrict users so China will let it in, some experts say it is ‘light years’ behind rivals already in place
Putin Brings China’s Great Firewall to Russia in Cybersecurity Pact
The Kremlin has joined forces with Chinese authorities to bring the internet and its users under greater state control
Conversation
11.28.16
Should Facebook Self-Censor to Enter the Chinese Market?
The social network Facebook has reportedly developed software to suppress posts from users’ feeds in targeted geographic areas, a feature created to help the giant social media network gain access to China, where it is blocked. Facebook Chief...
'Social' Feature Turns China’s Alipay Into a Hook-up App
Alipay update leads to suggestive content flooding the typically staid financial app
Facebook Said to Create Censorship Tool to Get Back into China
The social network has quietly developed software to suppress posts from appearing in people’s news feeds in specific geographic areas
The China Africa Project
11.17.16
China’s Controversial, Out-Sized Role in Africa’s Digital Revolution
Africa is home to one of the fastest growing technology markets in the world. In fact, more African households own a mobile phone...
Beijing: Facebook & Google Can Come Back to China as long as They “Respect China’s Laws”
Both companies still have business-facing services in China, but consumer-facing services have been blocked for years.
China’s Internet Child-Safety Policies Could Force Changes at Tech Firms
Tech companies doing business in China might have to adjust operations to comply with proposed rules
Propaganda and Censorship Remain China’s Favored Tools of Control
Recent court rulings rapping people questioning the party-state’s tales about war heroes reflect leaders’ insecurity over their rule
The NYRB China Archive
07.28.16
China: The People’s Fury
from New York Review of BooksIt has long been routine to find in both China’s official news organizations and its social media a barrage of anti-American comment, but rarely has it reached quite the intensity and fury of the last few days. There have been...
China Bans Internet News Reporting as Media Crackdown Widens
Internet portals must shut all original reporting operations.
China Cracks Down on News Reports Spread via Social Media
The Cyberspace Administration of China works hard to filter the news....
Connecting to China's Patchy Internet Freedom
Determined Chinese internet users turn to Virtual private Networks....
Conversation
06.30.16
Where Is China’s Internet Headed?
Lu Wei, the often combative Chinese official known as China’s “Internet Czar,” will step down, and is to be replaced by a former deputy of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The personnel change comes after a period of mounting restrictions on China’s...
Lu Wei, China’s Internet Czar, Will Step Down From Post
China‘s “firewall” hands the position to Xu Lin after years of building internet policy....
China's Internet Propaganda Is More Subtle and Sophisticated Than It Ever Has Been
Internet mercenaries are paid by the government to spread propaganda messages online.
In China, Government Workers Push Rosy, Diverting Views Online
The common belief that people who post pro-party online messages are paid 50 cents per post leads people in China to call them the Fifty Cent Party.
Baidu Should Have Even Higher Standards Than Google, Because It's All China's Citizens Have
Many believe Baidu's claims that it performs strict due diligence before accepting ads.
China Wants to Own Small Stake in Web Firms
The Chinese government’s control over the Internet could get even tighter, with regulators floating a proposal for the state to take 1% stakes in major Chinese Internet.
China Internet Star Papi Jiang Promises 'Corrections' after Reprimand
One of China's biggest internet stars Papi Jiang has promised to "correct" herself, following warnings from government officials.
Twitter’s Chief in China Raises Eyebrows Over Military Past and Résumé
Twitter's new Chinese chief appointment has aroused fears of potential censorship.
China Says Tech Firms Pledge to Counter Online Terror Activities
Twenty-five companies, including Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu, have signed on the help the government.
Conversation
04.12.16
Should Internet Censorship Be Considered a Trade Issue?
A new report from the Office of the United States Trade Representative lists, for the first time, Chinese Internet censorship as a trade barrier. The possible implications are complex: it could strengthen the hand of U.S. businesses, but also...
U.S. Adds China’s Internet Controls to List of Trade Barriers
The limits have posed a significant burden to foreign suppliers, hurting both Internet sites and users who depend on them for business.”
The Architect of China’s Great Firewall Was Himself Blocked by the Firewall
Fang Binxing was himself blocked from viewing a South Korean website during a talk at the Harbin Institute of Technology.
China Censors Mentions of ‘Panama Papers’ Leaks
The names of relatives of several top leaders are found in the documents exposing offshore companies, but most citizens will never hear of the news.
China’s Latest Proposed Internet Regulations Would Make Foreign Websites Impossible to Reach
Any website that has not procured its domain from inside China will not be accessible.
Read and delete: How Weibo's censors tackle dissent and free speech
A former employee gives insight into how Weibo balances the demands of government censorship with the need to attract users.
China and Russia’s Orwellian attacks on Internet freedom
Xi Jinping’s recent speech suggests that China won’t give up nudging global Internet governance toward the “sovereignty” model.
Will China’s Censorship Spread?
Since last year, China has been promoting its
China Web Tsar Admits Censorship Troubles
“We have indeed called for reinforcements over prominent online problems, this is the truth.”
Media
11.27.15
‘Personal Media’ in China Takes a Hit From Pre-Publication Censorship
Observers have long thought that Chinese authorities censor the media depending on type: the censorship of traditional media is primarily conducted in advance, with a thorough inspection of news and discussion before publication;...
China Cuts Mobile Service of Xinjiang Residents Evading Internet Filters
The Chinese government is shutting down the mobile service of residents in Xinjiang.
China Ranks Last of 65 Nations in Internet Freedom
Chinese officials will be able to impose a prison sentence of up to seven years on a person convicted of creating and spreading “false information” online.
Media
10.13.15
Chinese Censors Are Giving North Korea a P.R. Makeover
On October 10, Liu Yunshan, a member of the elite Politburo Standing Committee and one of the seven most powerful men in China, paid a visit to North Korea to observe a massive parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the...
Media
08.13.15
Sorry China, the Internet You’re Looking for Does Not Exist
The long arm of China’s massive internal security apparatus just reached further into the heart of the country’s web. On August 4, China’s Ministry of Public Security announced that it would embed law enforcement officers at major...
Media
07.23.15
Why Taylor Swift’s 1989 Merchandise Is Not Going to Get Her Banned in China
On July 20, one of China’s largest e-commerce websites, JD.com, announced that it is partnering with popular American singer Taylor Swift...
Want to Circumvent China’s Great Firewall? Learn These 9 Phrases First
A story about the newly updated e-book Decoding the Chinese Internet: A Glossary of Political Slang”
China National Security Law Aims to Create 'Garrison State'
The law marks a crackdown on activism and dissent, featuring repression of civil-society groups, and warnings against the spread of Western ideas.
The China Africa Project
06.19.15
China’s Controversial Technology Partnership with South Africa
The Chinese and South Africa governments have signed a pact, or a “plan of action,” where Beijing will provide a broad array of...
PLA Daily Warns of Internet's Revolutionary Potential
The military should not only safeguard traditional national sovereignty and security, but also "protect ideological and political security on the invisible battleground of the Internet".
Media
04.21.15
This Chart Explains Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Internet Censorship
What goes through a Chinese web user’s head the moment before he or she hits the “publish” button? Pundits, scholars, and everyday netizens have spent years trying to parse the (ever-shifting) rules of the Chinese Internet. Although Chinese...
U.S. Coding Website GitHub Hit With Cyberattack
The attack appears to underscore how China’s Internet censors increasingly reach outside the country.
China Blocks Web Access to ‘Under the Dome’ Documentary on Pollution
The drama over the video has ignited speculation over which groups supported it and which sought to kill it.
Sobering News Out of China, Part 4 Million
Chronicles of a country walling itself off.
Media
02.23.15
Five Predictions for Chinese Censorship in the Year of the Sheep
Blocked websites, jailed journalists, and nationalist rhetoric have long been features of the Chinese Communist Party’s media control strategy. During the Year of the Horse, which just ended on China’s lunar calendar, President Xi Jinping and his...
Viewpoint
02.19.15
Beijing Touts ‘Cyber-Sovereignty’ In Internet Governance
It has been a difficult few weeks for global technology companies operating in China.
Chinese officials strengthened the Internet firewall by blocking...
China’s Internet Censorship Anthem Is Revealed, Then Deleted
Cyberspace Administration employees Sang lines like, “An Internet power: Tell the world that the Chinese Dream is uplifting China.”
The NYRB China Archive
02.09.15
China: Inventing a Crime
from New York Review of BooksIn late January, Chinese authorities announced that they are considering formal charges against Pu Zhiqiang, one of China’s most prominent human rights lawyers, who has been in detention since last May. Pu’s friends fear...