Google just announced that its Internet licensed was renewed by the Chinese government. Google originally automatically redirected google.cn users to their Hong Kong site, google.com.hk. Now, China is forcing users to click on the link for Google Hong Kong (or almost anywhere on the page) on the google.cn page. Google did enough technical maneuvering to get what it wanted: a renewed license. Google gets to tell the good news story that it is still in China and that it doesn’t censor. The bad news is that mainland Chinese people will …
Last week, eight former commissioners from the Federal Election Commission (including me) tried to warn a committee in the House of Representatives that a bill it was about to vote on was not only unnecessary, but so burdensome to the right of political speech and advocacy that it violates the First Amendment. We summarized our criticisms of the “Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Election Act,” or DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175), in this commentary in the Wall Street Journal. As we pointed out, the DISLOSE Act not …
As the Internet is used increasingly in Russia, the Kremlin is fighting to maintain control of Russia’s new media. According to a poll conducted by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) one in four Russians go online daily and nearly half of these web users go online for the purpose of checking the daily news. According to Eurasian studies expert, Paul Goble, access to the Internet reduces the ability of the Russian powers-that-be to control the messages the citizenry receives. Therefore, Moscow is considering adopting draconian …
Now, not only are we engaged in a War on Terror, but according to the U.S. State Department, apparently a Global War on Censorship. As President Barack Obama extends the hand of reconciliation to distasteful regimes, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is simultaneously declaring open war on many of these same states’ control of private-media access. Addressing the issue of media censorship in the wake of Google’s well-publicized row with China, Secretary Clinton asserted that, although “new technologies do not take sides in the struggle for freedom and progress, the …
There may be valuable political conclusions to be drawn from the current tiff between Google and the Chinese government, but there certainly isn’t anything new on the economics or business side. Perhaps the main reason the PRC wants foreign technology and know-how is to drive foreign (and some domestic) companies out of business. Google’s threat to stop its China service entirely has prompted broad discussion of the struggle of many multinational firms in the PRC. The discussion is well summarized by James McGregor, “There’s a sense China is saying, ‘We …
Google, which was censoring its searches in compliance with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) demands, still faced cyber attacks. Google announced that it is “no longer willing to continue censoring [its] results on Google.cn” after facing “a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on [Google’s] corporate infrastructure originating from China.” David Drummond, Senior Vice President for Corporate Development and Chief Legal Advisor, wrote on Google’s official blog that the primary purpose of the attack was to gain access to the “Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.” Google made this statement after …
Li Yizhong, China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology, announced that companies will not be required to install the Green Dam Youth Escort web filter onto their computers sold in China. This is a retraction from the original policy declared earlier this year forcing companies to include the software, which was quickly discovered to block politically sensitive material as well as material inappropriate for children. Like all victories against the Great Firewall, this one was partial. The reversal occurred due to diverse, strong opposition to Green Dam software. Ron Kirk, …
You might think that passing a bill through Congress is a really difficult and honorable task that involves late night debates, hours spent analyzing proposals and reading legislation, policy wonks splitting hairs over detailed issues, and a healthy dose of respectful opposition and transparency. Oh boy, would you be wrong. In this Congress, it’s rahm rahm rahm, Chicago-style. According to recent reports, Congressional leaders are censoring congressional mailings to avoid the appearance of two sides to the health care debate. And what is being censored? Democrats should be called “the …
China has been rightly criticized for censoring speech on the Internet. It is the one major economy in which the government has denied free speech and free access online. But this could change if the Orwellian-sounding “Minister of Culture” in Britain gets his way. The Minister, Andy Burnham, would like to see at least film-style ratings, and possibly outright censorship, imposed upon the Internet internationally. He is “planning to negotiate with Barack Obama’s incoming American administration to draw up new international rules for English language websites.” He is very clear …
