Internet Censorship: The Negative Effects Of Access To The Internet

Many countries and societies in the World have reaped the benefits of the advancements in the digital age. “However, in some totalitarian regimes, technology has often been perceived as a formidable opponent in the struggle to maintain the status quo. The intended benefits for new technologies are often met with unforeseen consequences” (Leberknight, 2010). According to the 2010 Chinese government white paper – The Internet in China, “The Internet is seen as indispensible for education, poverty alleviation, and the efficient conveyance of government information and services to the public. The development of a vibrant, indigenous Internet and telecommunications sector is also considered critical for China's long-term global economic competitiveness” (SCIO, 2010).

Over time, China has gradually regained the relationship through communication, compromisation, and restored affairs. However, the Tiananmen Square Protest has damaged China’s international image. To the world, it was a shocking to see the government violently suppress freedom and violate the basics of human rights. The US president George Bush said, “he deeply deplored the use of force”, while the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said she was “shocked and appalled by the shootings” (BBC News). When China attempted to regain its image by hosting the 2000 Olympics game, the International Olympics Committee received multiple complaints on China’s lack of political freedom and human rights.

In fact, China has the world’s most complex censorship system, which is implemented due to political, moral and commercial reasons. Essentially, the most prevalent form of censorship in China is imposed in regard to political motivations. China controls the access to the Internet on domestic and international levels. It censors the Internet through the ‘Golden Shield’, which is a complex and highly developed project operated by the Ministry of Public Security. It limits and blocks the access to foreign websites such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Google.

Multiple countries throughout the world have internet access at their fingertips and are able to find the answer to their questions instantly. “As of June 2017, 51% of the world’s population has internet access. In 2015, the International Telecommunication Union estimated about 3.2 billion people, or almost half of the world’s population, would be online by the end of the year” (Gordon). Billions of people use the Internet each and every day to research topics, check their social media, and communicate. The nation as a whole has become extremely dependent on technology to do their work and survive through the day.

In repressive societies there is an extensive use of state control throughout daily life, for example in the prohibiting and banning of free speech and political opposition, and following severe human rights breaches and abuses. Many people consider the repressive capability of an authoritarian regime as the most serious factor as to why these regimes remains durable. They are able to some what manipulate and establish their rule as almost a norm in society. It is obvious that repression is very much present in china in a number of different ways for example in relation to internet censorship. Internet censorship being the great firewall of china a surveillance project controlled and operated by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) division of the Chinese government.

Scholars believe that this mainly due to the government’s restriction. The prohibition prevent sex workers from undergoing a medical inspection and reaching for help. As illegal workers in China, no yearly medical inspection is promised. More importantly, the prohibition by government instills the concept of it is shameful to be a sex worker to the society. Since AIDS is usually related to an indecent sexual life in China, sex workers usually refused to accept medical treatment which makes the phenomenon even worse.

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In the world we live in today, we can see its strong force in most industries. Pew Internet & American Life Project has reported that 95% of Americans from ages 18 to 29 use the internet (Bernard, S. 2011). Many people use technology in their everyday lives to work and communicate. But many years before, only developed countries have access to say for example, a computer and internet connection. As a result, projects and initiatives were launched by private and government sectors in order to help narrow the gap to what we call the “Digital Divide” (Thomas &Carvalho, 2012).

Introduction Free speech is something that the American people have grown accustom to and often take for granted. Many other countries such as China do not know such rights. Censorship in the People's Republic of China (PRC) is implemented or mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Communist Party of China (CPC). The Chinese government censors any and all content including media, entertainment, publications, and internet for mainly political reasons including the internet. In January 2010, Google announced that they would no longer censor searches due to the fact that the Chinese government was hacking Google and other US tech companies.