1. Topic 2: Information Communication Internet Censorship in China From July 2009 Ürümqi Riots point of view Dan Ru ISYM-540-P 07/09/2009

2. July 2009 Ürümqi Riots Date: July 5 th 2009 Location: Ürümqi – the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwestern China Death toll: at least 156 & 1,000 injured Ethnic groups: Han – Chinese majority Uyghur – a Turkic ethic group, predominantly Muslim

3. Communications Cell-phone Service China Mobile – suspended China Unicom – no interruption Outbound international calls – blocked Internet Service Connection – locked down Government’s website – inaccessible Unauthorized posting – “harmonized” Twitter, YouTube, Flickr – blocked

4. Government Hundreds of military police Tear gas, water hoses, armored vehicles, road blocks, and curfews Chinese media Immediately TV broadcast Graphic footage – cars being smashed and people being beaten Foreign media 100 media organization – invited hrs after riot stopped Unprecedented access – trouble spots and hospitals Share 30 internet connections

5. Chinese Netizens Despite blocks and censorship Continues attempts to divulge their thoughts Some support government Many ethnically charged – deleted “Tomb-digging” continuously extending threads on forum at a rate faster than the censor’s deletion

6. Media Comments China doesn’t have a great deal to hide Astonished the speed Beijing seize news agenda released videos hours not weeks learned from Iran, Georgia, Ukraine Protest in 21 st century Internet and mobile communication devices helped protesters organize and reach the outside world

7. Internet Censorship in China Wide variety of laws > 60 internet regulations Exception: Hong Kong & Macau Goal: neutralize critical online opinion Example: anti-Japanese, anti-pollution, anti-corruption Falun Gong … Imprisoned journalists & cyber-dissidents

8. No unit or individual may use the internet to create, replicate, retrieve or transmit the following kind of information: 1.Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations; 2.Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system; 3.Inciting division of the country, harming national unification; 4.Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities; 5.Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society; 6.Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder; 7.Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people; 8.Injuring the reputation of state organs; 9.Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.

9. Golden Shield Project “Great Firewall of China” Cost: $800 million Started in 1998 Operation since November 2003 blocks content by preventing IP addresses from being routed through selectively engages in DNS poisoning when particular sites are requested

10. Green Dam Youth Escort Mandatory software As of July 1 st 2009, manufacturers must include Green Dam for all machines to be sold in mainland but delaying for now… PC makers voluntarily supply Web filter Acer, Lenovo, Asus, BenQ Purpose: Shield children from violent and obscene material Block material the government deemed politically unacceptable