Has Australian Censorship Gone Too Far?

Australian Communications Specialists have told journalists that Australia is implementing a filter on the internet for all Australian citizens effective immediately. The aim of this action is to protect Australians from the “evils of the net” and combat child pornography. It seems like this censorship has good intentions however, it will be the end of free speech in Australia. This filter will most likely slow down the speed of the internet since all information is being heavily monitored. There is some talk to believe that the internet may be rendered inoperable in Australia if censorship continues to grow. Australia needs to realize that this censorship will block harmful material but will also block  important information such as news, blogs, etc.

Australia Institutes Mandatory Internet Censorship

It seems that the world is beginning to move toward a world of more censorship and less freedom of expression. Australia has joined China in having a mandatory Censorship law set forth from its Federal Government. This also comes at the same time that Yahoo, Google and Microsoft have signed stringent rules of conduct for dealing with other governments like China. Australia says they have implemented censorship to combat child pornography yet authorities have claimed that other areas of the Internet will be limited such as websites regarding euthanasia. I am a strong proponent for freedom of expression so this comes as a negative step for China since other countries are agreeing with the Communist Regime. The Australian government will surely censor material other than child pornography and begin to hide certain truths from its citizens if this law of mandatory censorship remains intact. My belief is that Internet users should have the choice to decide which level of censorship they want whether it is complete censorship or virtually no censorship.

Censorship Cartoon

A popular example of how there is prevalent Internet Censorship in China is illustrated in the image above, involving the restiction of information on Tiananmen Square.

Tech Companies Under Scrutiny

          Several large companies based in the United States have been accused of dealing with the Chinese Government in ways that infringe upon freedom of speech. Yahoo has been found supplying the Chinese Government  with specific intel on several Yahoo customers who used Yahoo Mail in order to communicate their pro-democratic ideas in China. These people were found because of Yahoo intel and were sentenced to torture and jail-time. It is incredible to know that the email company I currently use for my personal email account has been implicated in infringing on human rights! Microsoft and Google, computer industry superpowers, have also been implicated in deals with China. Google censored search results on its search engine to satisfy the Chinese government’s limitations on the Internet. Similarly, Microsoft began to censor Chinese blogs which also contributes to the Chinese communist ideals toward the suppression of free speech. Fortunately, in response to these allegations, Yahoo, Google and Microsoft have agreed not to create anymore relationships with foreign governments, known as the Global Network Initiative. It will be interesting to see if these three companies can all obey the agreement even if it means a reduction in potential profit. For the sake of Americans, these companies have made the right decision by establishing a compromise; otherwise, the trustworthiness between the customer and producer would have been ruined.

What is next for China?

      The 2008 Beijing Olympics has spiked global interest and opened the world to China’s dazzling culture however there are still problems developing from the 2008 Olympics. How has the censorship in China changed since the closing ceremonies and what overall effect will the Olympics have had on government rule?

     The transportation during the Olympics was rigidly monitored by security cameras beginning in June. Chinese officials mandated that all taxis and buses install cameras before the Olympics to monitor the conversations in the vehicle. This is one example of how China has not learned from the restrictions handed down by the International Olympic Committee. These cameras were put in place to maintain communist ideals as pro-democratic foreigners flooded the streets of Beijing. The obvious question to ask is what use would China have for these cameras after the Olympics? The government was running well without these new monitoring devices and the citizens would only feel as though their government is losing trust in them. Moreover, security cameras cost millions of dollars to keep in operation. China would be at a great disadvantage to keep these useless devices in operation.

    As reporter broadcasts and news stories inundated the Internet, the Chinese government maintained its tight censoring of the Internet. The IOC had ensured fans that there would be unrestricted access to the Internet in China however the “Great Internet Firewall” in China was still in place during the Olympics. As millions of people saw this communist country on TV or as a visitor, there has been more information passing through Chinese servers that can barely be patrolled by Chinese law enforcement. Chinese officials will need a more sophisticated firewall system to keep up or finally loosen its censorship barriers and encourage instead of deny this free flow of information. China needs to understand that if they can limit government control and promote more trade and free communication, their economy will inevitably prosper.

Why does the IOC believe China will be a good host country?

For the last fifty years, China has been known for its Communist ideals and human rights violations. Instead of loosening up on its strict laws, the Chinese government has kept at pace with the growing technology by installing firewalls to limit the activity that its citizens can do on the internet. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has promised journalists and other media to unlimited access within China to report on the Olympics, however the IOC has also made agreements with China to allow continued censorship. The main goal of the IOC is to promote peace and educate spectators through the different cultures of host cities. China is only distancing itself from democratic nations by continuing its censoring of the internet thus harming any attempt at world unity or achieving the goals of the IOC. In addition, China cannot educate viewers if they can never read the true, uncensored news stories. China is simply shielding itself from the rest of the world by censoring the internet which is not the kind of action a host country should take. China needs to accept the consequences of hosting the Olympics which involve unrestricted access to foreign journalists. In addition, the IOC must enforce these rules on China and remember the initial goals of the International Olympic Committee.

Witty Example of China’s Strict Government

Question of the Day?

Will the 2008 Beijing Olympics change the way Chinese law enforcement censors the internet?

Welcome!

Welcome to the best place to learn about Internet Censorship in China. The site is updated daily and will only become more fascinating as the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China draws closer.