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March 16, 2006
Information control in China
A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, completed in November, has some great data on the surveillance the Chinese government performs on its citizens to regulate web content. The "Technical Methods of Content Filtering" section is particularly eyebrow-raising.
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.
The report makes clear that while the Internet is a vehicle for information sharing and open communication, it is still possible for a government to make it difficult to access information -- or to track what information is being accessed by which people.
Posted by Meredith Mazzotta at March 16, 2006 02:54 PM
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