Two weeks ago, China yet again banned YouTube to all of its 289 million Internet users. This was done in an attempt to block the circulation of footage of PRC police officers brutally beating Tibetan civilians last year. It was also banned when the riots occurred last year that killed as many as 140 Tibetan civilians (according to Tibetan records) or, only 18 civilians (according to PRC reports).
This, of course, isn't the first time China has been in hot water by the international community for human rights violations. The U.S. State Department and organizations like Amnesty International conduct annual reports on human rights in China, and the findings are often startling. Anyone who advocates the independence of any of the Chinese territories that are under Han Chinese control (like Tibet) is subject to punishment under the law. It's also well known that these offenders are not given due process of law and can suffer in prisons for unknown periods of time. People like Hu Jia, who last year publicly criticized the Communist government, are still in prison for "inciting subversion of state power."
Even with China on the world stage this summer as the host
of the 2008 Olympics, events in the country still echo of its strict Communist
past. The Chinese government still controls television broadcasts, and bias is
obvious. When I visited this summer, footage of the horrific May earthquake
that occurred in Sichuan province was still being shown--not the bloody,
gruesome footage I saw in the U.S., but instead, footage of survivors being
pulled and the country rallying together to heal the damage that occurred. This
was a full two months after the earthquake. While I understand that the purpose
of the footage was to try and move past the terrible event, I consider it propaganda
nonetheless.
In short, the human rights violations and media censorship cannot continue with the economic growth of China. With advances in technology that make the actions of government more transparent, China will, sooner or later, have to come to terms that by welcoming Western goods, it is also subject to greater scrutiny of its governmental operations. So next time you log onto Yahoo!, YouTube, The New York Times, or Skype, be thankful that the government isn't closely monitoring what you're doing. These are all programs or sites that have, at one time, been censored or monitored by the Chinese government.
I’m pretty sure that the American government is monitoring our activity on the Internet one way or another. Why wouldn’t they? Internet is the place where information spreads like wild fire and the place where you can get hold anything anywhere. The government would be pretty stupid if they weren’t keeping an eye on the Internet. The situation isn’t as bad as it is in China, mostly because the government here knows how to be discreet.
I agree that the government is monitoring our activity on the internet in some way. Yes I think that the Chinese government may get out of hand with some of their laws and monitoring but in some way every government is watching or monitoring activity whether it be on the internet or telephone.
China has some serious issues that need to be addressed, in regards to human rights. A nation that is continuing to develop, China needs to also develop in regards to what is fair for its people. If China wishes to be a true world power, it needs to not only advance internationally/financially, but also at home with its people. The Chinese people ought to enjoy the freedoms that citizens of other free nations have and until that is achieved, China will continue to struggle.
China needs to stop trying to monitor citizens especially with all the advancements. People have every right to be informed of what is happening, regardless of it being good or bad. Propaganda is something that I believe to be evil, manipulative and just downright wrong. Youtube is a large part of the internet, and people have every right to access what they want to access. China has a lot of things to work on, and people's rights are up there. The cencorship ruled by their Government for so many years is eventually going to fail, especially with the fast-paced technological advancements around the world.
I agree with Jodi that the Chinese government may be out of hand with some laws and monitoring, but I think it's necessary for every government to monitor activity on the Internet. I don't understand what the challenge China had against YouTube was... If the U.S. were to block YouTube access, people would go crazy. It's become a huge part of our society that so many people visit everyday.