Comment Internet censorship a digital Panopticon? (Score 1) 428
The following is part of a short text I wrote partly in response to Lokman Tsui's (Leiden University, the Netherlands) thesis "Internet in China: Big Mama is Watching You". (Lokman Tsui, Internet in China: Big Mama is Watching You, University of Leiden, July 2001)
In his thesis Lokman compares the internet censorship in China to the Panopticon, a concept of a prison invented in 1791 in which the prisoners do not know whether or not they are being watched, and thus always behave in a proper manner. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon)
If you like I can send you my full text, if you're interested in this subject you might find it an interesting overview.
The new phenomenon of blogging is beginning to ?upturn? the traditional Western media1. Newspapers and TV channels now have to deal with bloggers spreading news and information themselves they do not cover, and discussing topics traditionally left ignored. The same can be said to be happening in China, although there the difference between the traditional media and the bloggers is of course much larger. However, although the Chinese government is not, maybe not yet, capable of dealing with the blogs, censorship is still strict and punishment severe, and as all Chinese are aware of this, only those who want to deliberately act against the censorship will do so. This also applies to proxy-use. Using a proxy server to look at blocked content is punishable, so only those who really want to, will.
As Lokman Tsui says, views on the possibility of censoring the Internet in China differ, but the most prevalent view among "Western" journalists is that the Internet cannot be censored. Tsui however, is of the opinion that, contrary to what most Western journalists say, even though the control of the Internet by China's government is not a hundred percent, it is effective nonetheless. The threat itself, he concludes, is enough and makes it possible for the Chinese authorities to control the Internet.
Indeed, barriers, self-censorship and fear of being monitored make for strong control. Not only in the case of Internet censorship, this is the basic functionality of every law. However, what Tsui does not do is distinguish between different kinds of Internet users. He deals with the group of Internet users as if it were homogenous, all motivated and scared by the same things. Yet here too it is the same as with every other law: those who want to break a law will. A distinction should be made; the group that is being controlled by a law should be divided into three groups. The first group are those who have no intention of breakinghte law and who would not do so if possible. The law does not affect this group, as they never come in contact with it. The second group are those who will break the law, for whatever reason they have. Even though they might have to suffer the consequences of breaking it, the law does not affect this group, as they will not be stopped by it. The third group are those who do not break the law, but might if given the opportunity. This third group is the group affected by laws. As long as the laws are there and being enforced, they will not break it. However, when breaking it is made easy and the risk of getting caught becomes very small, this group might do so. The grouping, of course, varies for every different law.
The censorship of the Chinese government of the Internet is one of these laws. Most of the Chinese Internet users only use the Internet for "allowed" activities. On the other hand there are certainly Chinese who use the Internet for illegal purposes. These users are motivated to learn what they need to know in order to be able to, and because the use of proxy servers has become very easy, as they have increased in number and availability, the knowledge barrier has become smaller. This shrinking of the knowledge barrier, in combination with a very fast growing number of bloggers, who are obviously much less controlled and censored, must have created a growth in the number of people who know about this "other" information available and who know how to get it. Among those people will be members of the third group.
The laws and regulations the Chinese authorities have used to control the Internet have worked. They have kept most of the third group under control. However, with the increasing number of Internet users, increasing availability of allowed as well as illegal information, and with the diminishing of the knowledge barrier, making circumvention of the Great Firewall easier, the third group might be slipping from the Chinese control.
In his thesis Lokman compares the internet censorship in China to the Panopticon, a concept of a prison invented in 1791 in which the prisoners do not know whether or not they are being watched, and thus always behave in a proper manner. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon)
If you like I can send you my full text, if you're interested in this subject you might find it an interesting overview.
The new phenomenon of blogging is beginning to ?upturn? the traditional Western media1. Newspapers and TV channels now have to deal with bloggers spreading news and information themselves they do not cover, and discussing topics traditionally left ignored. The same can be said to be happening in China, although there the difference between the traditional media and the bloggers is of course much larger. However, although the Chinese government is not, maybe not yet, capable of dealing with the blogs, censorship is still strict and punishment severe, and as all Chinese are aware of this, only those who want to deliberately act against the censorship will do so. This also applies to proxy-use. Using a proxy server to look at blocked content is punishable, so only those who really want to, will.
As Lokman Tsui says, views on the possibility of censoring the Internet in China differ, but the most prevalent view among "Western" journalists is that the Internet cannot be censored. Tsui however, is of the opinion that, contrary to what most Western journalists say, even though the control of the Internet by China's government is not a hundred percent, it is effective nonetheless. The threat itself, he concludes, is enough and makes it possible for the Chinese authorities to control the Internet.
Indeed, barriers, self-censorship and fear of being monitored make for strong control. Not only in the case of Internet censorship, this is the basic functionality of every law. However, what Tsui does not do is distinguish between different kinds of Internet users. He deals with the group of Internet users as if it were homogenous, all motivated and scared by the same things. Yet here too it is the same as with every other law: those who want to break a law will. A distinction should be made; the group that is being controlled by a law should be divided into three groups. The first group are those who have no intention of breakinghte law and who would not do so if possible. The law does not affect this group, as they never come in contact with it. The second group are those who will break the law, for whatever reason they have. Even though they might have to suffer the consequences of breaking it, the law does not affect this group, as they will not be stopped by it. The third group are those who do not break the law, but might if given the opportunity. This third group is the group affected by laws. As long as the laws are there and being enforced, they will not break it. However, when breaking it is made easy and the risk of getting caught becomes very small, this group might do so. The grouping, of course, varies for every different law.
The censorship of the Chinese government of the Internet is one of these laws. Most of the Chinese Internet users only use the Internet for "allowed" activities. On the other hand there are certainly Chinese who use the Internet for illegal purposes. These users are motivated to learn what they need to know in order to be able to, and because the use of proxy servers has become very easy, as they have increased in number and availability, the knowledge barrier has become smaller. This shrinking of the knowledge barrier, in combination with a very fast growing number of bloggers, who are obviously much less controlled and censored, must have created a growth in the number of people who know about this "other" information available and who know how to get it. Among those people will be members of the third group.
The laws and regulations the Chinese authorities have used to control the Internet have worked. They have kept most of the third group under control. However, with the increasing number of Internet users, increasing availability of allowed as well as illegal information, and with the diminishing of the knowledge barrier, making circumvention of the Great Firewall easier, the third group might be slipping from the Chinese control.
