Access to Information in China by risa
We may get a biased and distorted view of events from our media here in Canada, but we do not face jail terms for things said in email, do we? Oh China. You’ve got so much wisdom and perspective to share, it’s a shame your administration seems to be afraid of the challenges and new ideas you could propose. I think a successful government, in a world where everyone is watching to see how you will behave, will have to always act in ways that will allow it to be unafraid of what it’s own people will say.
While the communist government encourages Internet use for education and business, it also keeps an extremely tight rein over online content, usually blocking material it deems subversive or pornographic. Online dissidents who post essays questioning government actions and policies or those who express their opinions in chatrooms are regularly arrested and charged under vaguely worded state security laws.
Earlier this month, a French media watchdog group said e-mail account information provided by Internet powerhouse Yahoo Inc. helped lead to the conviction and 10-year prison sentence of a Chinese journalist who had written about media restrictions in an e-mail.
Also as part of an ongoing effort to curb potential dissent, thousands of cybercafes – the main entry to the Web for many Chinese unable to afford a computer or Internet access – have been closed.
China issues new regulations to control Internet news sites
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