KateYHuang
03-21-2004, 02:21 PM
Media Group Condemns China's Censorship of Western WebsitesˇX60 have been arrested
Paris-based media rights organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recently condemned China's growing Internet censorship of Western media. RSF reported that since the Peopleˇ¦s Congress opened on March 5, the Chinese government has consistently blocked the web sites of the Wall Street Journal and the Deutsche Welle.
ˇ§The Beijing authorities have reaffirmed a desire for liberalization during the Peopleˇ¦s National Congress. Unfortunately this openness is confined to the economic field, because as far as free expression is concerned the government seems to be getting even tougher,ˇ¨ RSF said in a statement on its website.
The organization notes that visitors to the two news sites are being redirected to a Chinese search engine. Both the Wall Street Journal and Deutsche Welle websites have been blocked temporarily in the past, while the websites of Voice of America and several other Western media are continuously blocked.
The Chinese government recently launched Golden Shield, a project to strengthen police control on the Internet. The project will provide a nationwide surveillance network to monitor Chinese citizenˇ¦s Internet use. To date, China has reportedly spent $70 million on Golden Shieldˇ¦s research and development.
According to RSF, China has 60 people under custody for publishing articles on the Internet, more than any other country in the world.
Paris-based media rights organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recently condemned China's growing Internet censorship of Western media. RSF reported that since the Peopleˇ¦s Congress opened on March 5, the Chinese government has consistently blocked the web sites of the Wall Street Journal and the Deutsche Welle.
ˇ§The Beijing authorities have reaffirmed a desire for liberalization during the Peopleˇ¦s National Congress. Unfortunately this openness is confined to the economic field, because as far as free expression is concerned the government seems to be getting even tougher,ˇ¨ RSF said in a statement on its website.
The organization notes that visitors to the two news sites are being redirected to a Chinese search engine. Both the Wall Street Journal and Deutsche Welle websites have been blocked temporarily in the past, while the websites of Voice of America and several other Western media are continuously blocked.
The Chinese government recently launched Golden Shield, a project to strengthen police control on the Internet. The project will provide a nationwide surveillance network to monitor Chinese citizenˇ¦s Internet use. To date, China has reportedly spent $70 million on Golden Shieldˇ¦s research and development.
According to RSF, China has 60 people under custody for publishing articles on the Internet, more than any other country in the world.