The Great Firewall of China.

Senators John McCain and John Kyl, both Arizona Republicans, argue that the Internet by its very nature promotes grassroots democracy. In an op-ed piece they wrote, "By enabling discussion, debate and criticism of our governments, the Internet allows us to practice in cyberspace the essence of democracy." (1) Their comments were directed toward the Communist Party in China and American technology companies that enable and execute government censorship in the digital realm. Although China has made notable progress in liberalizing its economy over the past three decades, the Communist Party maintains a stranglehold on political freedom, and in no place is this more apparent than the roadblocks it places on the Information Superhighway. Indeed, according to Reporters Without Borders, China stands as "... the world's most advanced country in Internet filtering." (2) Of the 55 online dissidents imprisoned worldwide, 48 are detained in China. (3) China has an estimated 137 million citizens who access the Internet, second only to the United States. (4) While 9z percent of Chinese citizens have not gone online, analysts predict 400 million mainland web users over the next decade. (5) From 2001 through 2004 alone the percentage of the Chinese population accessing the Internet nearly tripled, from 2.57 percent to 7.23 percent. (6) The essay that follows describes in detail China's censorship machine, the reaction of its citizenry to this arsenal and the complicity of American companies in enabling the process. Does admittance to the world's largest market trump concerns about unencumbered access to information? Some companies have struck deals with the proverbial devil (Google, Microsoft, Yahoo), while others have stuck to their guns (Wikipedia). The preferred path isn't paved in black and white, although the information superhighway itself may ultimately provide the answers. China appears to be fighting a losing battle in an increasingly interconnected world that outwits the censors from near and afar. The Great Firewall Dubbed the "Golden Shield," the Chinese Internet censorship system does not aim for complete control, but only to prevent "major breaches in the firewall." Specifically, the Chinese National People's Congress claims it is criminal to "incite subversion," "divulge state secrets" or "organize cults" on the Internet. Such laws are necessary "to promote the good and eliminate the bad, encourage the healthy development of the Internet (and) safeguard the security of the State and the public interest." (7) Policies target pornographic websites along with sites critical of the Communist Party, including other governments, religious groups and political organizations. (8) This extends to sites related to freedom in Tibet, Taiwanese independence and the Tiananmen Square Massacre. (9) Moreover, one encounters an error message when trying to access Wikipedia or BBC Chinese language news service. (10) Of the websites blocked by Chinese censors, pornographic sites lead the list (39 percent), followed by mention of major historical events (14 percent), hate speech (13 percent), gay and lesbian sites (11 percent) and email providers (10 percent). Sex education sites (8 percent), gambling sites (8 percent), those that sell provocative attire (6 percent), news outlets (6 percent) and sites enabling the circumvention of censors (5 percent, see below) complete the list. (11) In the second half of 2004, for example, police closed more than 1,400 pornographic websites and arrested 420 people as a result. Another 700 gambling suspects were arrested in a similar crackdown in 2005. (12) Last June, homosexual websites were purged by a mainland domain company under pressure from the police. One administrator protested: "It is great humiliation to classify all gay forums ... as pornography, adult-only, and sex forums." Many such sites are dedicated to sex education, providing methods for condom usage and HIV knowledge. …