The People’s Republic of China is not a reclusive communist state, yet very often it puts enough restrictions on the freedom of expression so that the citizens do not get any feeling of democracy. To the leadership in Beijing the very word ‘democracy’ is like a contagious virus which could infect the whole population if allowed to breed with dire consequences for the stability of communism in China. Restricting the internet is a way of suppressing freedom of expression. In the newest step Beijing would restrict the broadcasting of online videos to state-sanctioned companies. The country’s leaders are worried about the rise of democratic voices within its borders through the circulation of various international videos that preach democracy.
Internet censorship in China has increased further after various critical opinions regarding anti-Japanese, anti-corruption and anti-pollution protests were published in various websites. A strong internet police task force works round the clock to clamp down on illegal cyber activities. China has a huge internet-savvy population and the problem is not all of it follow the code of conduct and that is what worries Beijing. The increase of globalisation and China’s own policies of opening its economy to the outside world(although with lots of restrictions)have contributed to free thinking. But the country is already facing some provincial problems with growing calls of independence for Tibet and Taiwan. The communists feel that rivals such as the United States, Japan and India would make a headway into influencing the minds of the Chinese population by printing democratic opinions through the websites.
But many analysts feel, that although the tough censorship has reduced posting of sensitive political matters in various national websites, the cyber banning process is largely done in an uncoordinated manner and many internet service providers find various ways to dodge the authorities. The People’s Republic of China has come under huge international criticism for its tough cyber censorship. The west has accused Beijing of suppressing human fundamental rights in violation with international constitution and this would have serious impact on the country’s march towards economic and political dominance.
Source Link: Times Online
Image Link: Chinapictures
