Great Firewall of China

I have a friend from China I met while interning for Disney. She says that sites like facebook and youtube are blocked, I was surprised that sites as harmless as those where blocked. Right now I am helping her find software that will let her get around the censors.

Why is this video and Naked China no longer here? Would it be possible to get them back online they were very interesting and informative O:

Great pod for showing people how the internet censorship in China really works, how it affects people and how people respond to it/get round it.

Since the Olympics, a few sites such as BBC, Reporters Sans Frontiers and Amnesty International have been unblocked following criticism from the IOC, though I'm not sure if the blocking has now been re-instated?

I think one of the key problems at the moment is the way in which kids and young people in China are educated and encouraged not to take their own views on political issues - like the poeple interviewed, who say that censorship isn't an issue for them since they don't look up politics-related sites. A more politically-aware generation, who know what happened in '89, can see other sides to the Tibet and Taiwan situations and is more questioning the govt's own propaganda is needed, I think, for things to move forwards and break out of China's political isolationism.

On the other hand, ask many average Western on issues such as Tibet, and they're likely just to see the Western view, which can also be heavily biased and misinformed, in its way. What is to be done?

(My apology if this response seems a bit late. I saw Laura's piece the day before yesterday -- almost a year after her pod was aired.)

This is partly in response to "shorscope's" question (see above) and my downloading "UltraSurf" from the UltraReach website and taking a look at their privacy policy. Not all may be as it appears as is so often the case regarding just about anything.

UltraSurf by UltraReach Internet Corporation may collect personally identifiable data - pay no mind to the "aggregate data" statement you'll find in all privacy policies found on virtually every site you visit. Once your IP address is captured and stored, and it always is because that's the nature of the marketing beast, you're nailed. Follow the logic trail from there. If you're in China and you got to the point where you could actually download UltraSurf and you're using it liberally (can 'China' and any variation of the word 'liberty' be used in the same sentence?) as you feel safe and protected from those who are always watching, you could be placing yourself in a precarious, if not dangerous, situation.
(Here's a FYI to be fair to UltraReach: Your identity could also be compromised if you use Anonymizer, Tor or any number of anonymous web surfing tools.)

UltraSurf by UltraReach is no different than any other piece of software promising anonymity. It may collect information about you and your surfing habits. I've posted a portion of their privacy statement below.

This caveat holds true now more than ever: There is nothing private about the Internet.

=================
"3. INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND HOW WE USE IT
UltraReach Internet Corporation collects certain information from and about its users directly from our Web Server logs.
(1) Web Server Logs.
When you visit our Website, we may track information to administer the site and analyze its usage. Examples of information we may track include:
~ Your Internet protocol address (IP).
~ The kind of browser or computer you use.
~ Number of links you click within the site.
~ State or country from which you accessed the site.
~ Date and time of your visit.
~ Name of your Internet service provider.
~ Web page you linked to our site from.
~ Pages you viewed on the site.

(2) Personal Information Users
We will not disclose personally identifiable information we collect from our Web Server log to third parties except to the extent necessary including:
~ To fulfill your service requests for services.
~ To protect ourselves from liability,
~
~ To respond to legal process or comply with law, or
~ In connection with a merger, acquisition, or liquidation of the company.

4. CHANGES TO THIS STATEMENT
UltraReach Internet Corporation has the discretion to occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will also revise the “updated” date at the top of this Privacy page. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. Your continued use of the service constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.
5. CONTACTING US
If you have questions regarding our Privacy Statement, its implementation, failure to adhere to this Privacy Statement and/or our general practices, please contact us: info@ultrareach.com
UltraReach Internet Corporation will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly respond and resolve any problem or question."

In china I use websurfing.cn and it's always got the job done for me. Interestingly though, current.com doesn't seem to come up....

i am native chinese ....our firewall is shit ...never work well

This piece was not only effective of informing non Chinese about the censorship the government imposes, but also, thought not in depth, how companies such as yahoo and google are more concerned with the bottom line and not civil liberties.

Very Interesting. I can't believe there's still censorship int he world, shows how many of us take our freedoms for granted and just assume that everyone else has the luxuries that we have.

I am working on taking a trip over the summer for an architectural internship and I have applied to a Shanghai based firm...if all works out, I wonder what I am going to experience

Again, I wonder how many world citizens who appear in Current Podcasts ever get to see the end results?
I'm betting that it's a lower total than we know.
How many places have full free access to Current.com or Current TV? That's worth digging into.

Wow. This is really pretty inspiring. I think we take a lot of the freedoms we have in the US for granted. Just thinking about not being able to have access to all the free-floating information out there sounds pretty heinous to me. I mean, really, a government that censors what a citizen can learn is doing a great disservice. I'm glad that activism is gaining the Chinese people ground and expanding the Chinese government's tolerance.

I've always wondered though, if the government censors political websites, do they also ban pornographic ones as well? That would be a huge problem for people in the states...haha

I tried to got to www.ultrareach.net and the web page could not be displayed. Is this site blocked in the US?

I wonder if China has web access to "Current"?
I also wonder how many world people can see the final cut of "Current" pods on the web, especially the folks who've appeared in them? There's a story to look into.

I was actually a bit disapointed when only ultrareach was mentioned. The Electronic Frontier Foundation's tor network has been around longer for the same purpose, and has mirrors for the purpose of actually obtaining it. There are of course other alternatives as well...

What a fascinating piece, and pleasing to watch, too. Laura Ling is such has such an engaging and authentic personality that moves the pod along with grace and makes her subjects seem natural. Furthermore, what an issue: I love the final shot that slow-mo zooms on the USB drive, the little thing that represents the irrepressable will of the people; how encouraging it is to hear that the Chinese are refusing to be censored and are slowly making progress towards the goal of freedom of speech and access to information for everyone. That is one of the revolutionary ideas of the internet, is it not? Just how much does the idea that China is "within 5 years of being free" say about democracy via the internet?

What sticks out most in this pod is the idea that Chinese youth are not as concerned with searching on the internet for political material. The peculiar thing is: does this stem from the fact that they have been so limited in their access to it in the first place? I think it is a possibility. For a generation that has grown up in the "internet age" with a firewall between them and this political material, I wonder how much they will be inclined to search for it once they have access. What I'm saying is, is the damage already done?

Great Pod!

I find it kinda funny that Ultrareach is blocked by Websense. I guess i'll do my work...

I would say different but not bizarre, I suppose some people have different opinions on what "bizarre" actually is, but all around this POD is an ACE in my book ;p

Very polished, professional work on a very important topic. Look forward to watching your future videos. I recently read a book by Kang Zhengguo called "Confessions: An Innocent Life in Communist China." It gives excellent expression to bizarre realities of living there.

Fantastic POD! if you ever need any crew support please call me. I have ProdHD package with lights and sound, two man crew for your use.

www.omnificpictures.com

TJ Walkup

Say no to the 2008 Beijing Olympics北京奥运 我不支持!

http://www.youchoose.net/campaign/say_no_to_the_2008_beijing_olympics

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/boycott-the-2008-beijing-olympics

Always wanted to know exactly what people could search for and what would get blocked. I knew that someone would come up with a way around it. All power to the software geeks. They are making new hyperspace bypasses to information and therefore eventually freedom for people. Well done. Awesome report!

I think I may be in china. I get censored by AOL and AIM sometimes when I get down to my opinionated ultra liberal core and believe free speech is my right. I get very frustrated when they remove what I say from a message board or return political activiist mailings instead of delivering them. Knowing how that feels, I commiserate with the Chinese over the many fewer options they have. I find it interesting that some of the companies that engage in curtailing their activities also are involved in curtailing mine.

Great piece of journalism. It does frustrate me when here in the UK where we don't have media censorship there is such a political disinterest amongst young people. It does seem though that the chinese government is fighting a loosing battle, soon enough the voices that want to be heard will find a means of speaking.

The law is of course relative depending on where the infraction took place and whether or not the judicial body in place decides that a give case should be prosecuted. So in short, in depends :) As for legal precendent (anyone been arressted...) That's a good question.

T

Are there legal consequences for those who are caught using the software that allows users to bypass the firewall??? Has anyone been arrested for using it?

I was an American expat in china for over a year and dealt with these firewalls everyday. It's cool to see all the insane stuff i dealt with in china on American t.v. most of my friends never believed half the stuff i told them and i wish i would have known about current when i was there.
Love laura lings stuff and look forward to seeing a peice on the black urban rivers of china.

I agree entirely. Well said!

Todd

Great pod. Really well done. Sites like anonymizer can provide handy ways around these kinds of restrictions by means of proxy servers, but that assumes of course that anonymizer itself is not blocked at the firewall. Another way around could be file sharing ala kazaa and what have you, again assuming those ports are blocked at the firewall. Again, great vid, keep em coming!

Todd

The people in china really wouldn't need to by the product that she did in this piece. The only thing you'd need to do is find a good proxy server to use which they could do for free. Every firewall can be bypassed.

You can't keep people from getting what they want---the internet is something people want and they want to be able to find things.

The technology to allow Chinese to search blocked sites is pretty cool.

I just can't believe people can't see what happens when government suppresses...it just makes group who is suppressed more gun-ho.

Good job on the reporting. Very informative.

Very interesting, and well-edited.

THAT WAS COOL

It's sad to think of the resources being wasted on censorship that only adds fuel to the fire. I'm sure these tens of thousands of internet censors could make better use of their skills doing something else...like mining gold in World of Warcraft.

Saw this on TV tonight. Absolutely incredible, and moving, especially to see how people quietly retaliate and persevere, all in the hopes of, eventually, a totally free China.

Awesome piece.

Very interesting, and well-edited.

This is a really interesting look at what i deal with everyday here in China. the only thing is that things like Tor and UltraReach can't be downloaded within China (I just tried, UR is blocked here).

I think the most interesting consequence of this among the youth is the depoliticization of popular media interests. Like your interviewee said, they're not entirely after political content in the first place!

None of this would fly in the US, we'd being suing the government left and right.

As always, a fantastic and important piece of journalism. Great work Laura! Blogging and censorship issues are super important, they even happen within our own government--remember that big uproar when they started blocking our troops in Iraq from using YouTube?