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The great firewall: China and internet regulation

News

China

Politics

China’s internet was hailed as a path to democracy but the Communist Party reshaped it in its own image

The internet age has brought a sense of community for Chinese citizens but also greater surveillance and more control for the party. Illustration: Brian Wang

A giant screen shows CCTV state media broadcast of the Chinese President Xi Jinping, at a shopping complex, ahead of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang u000d u000d u000d

The internet age has brought a sense of community for Chinese citizens but also greater surveillance and more control for the party.


How China wants to keep controlling the internet

China’s new draft regulation on online services sets a clear governance structure as Beijing moves to rein in Big Tech. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Internet users surf various Chinese websites at an Internet service provider's booth during a computer fair in Beijing, 27 January 2000. Sweeping measures announced by China to control the Internet are largely aimed at stifling political debate and information outflow but will not be effective in the long run and can slow down foreign investments.

China's former cybersecurity tsar Lu Wei stood trial in Ningbo Intermediate People's Court Friday morning for corruption charges, October 19, 2018 Ningbo city, Zhejiang province. Photo: Zhejiang Higher People's Court

China’s new draft regulation on online services sets a clear governance structure as Beijing moves to rein in Big Tech.


With rising confidence, Xi Jinping wields the internet as a tool of empowerment and control, speeches reveal

Illustration: Henry Wong

People wearing face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus use their smartphones as they walk through Ditan Park in Beijing, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. China's internet watchdog is cracking down further on online speech, issuing a new requirement that bloggers and influencers have a government-approved credential before they can publish on certain topics. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

China's internet users and their exposure to censorship

Censored Weibo posts

China's President Xi Jinping is seen on a screen before the opening ceremony of the World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China, November 23, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song

A new book reveals Chinese President Xi Jinping raised concerns about the Communist Party losing the battle for public opinion online before pushing authorities to leverage the internet to nurture a formidable tech industry.


A series looking at the politicisation of China’s internet landscape as China makes technology and innovation key priorities in its development plans for the next five years.


Series

The great firewall: China and internet regulation

A series looking at the politicisation of China’s internet landscape as China makes technology and innovation key priorities in its development plans for the next five years.

How the Communist Party shaped China’s internet

The internet age has brought a sense of community for Chinese citizens but also greater surveillance and more control for the party.

Nailing Jell-O to the wall: new rules reveal China’s vision for internet control

China’s new draft regulation on online services sets a clear governance structure as Beijing moves to rein in Big Tech.

Xi once worried about the internet but now sees it as a tool to empower China

A new book reveals Chinese President Xi Jinping raised concerns about the Communist Party losing the battle for public opinion online before pushing authorities to leverage the internet to nurture a formidable tech industry.