The Great Firewall of China: A Critical Analysis

Censorship has a great impact on society as we enter the cyber environment. The Chinese Great Firewall, as it is commonly called, brings great attention to China as they enter into the global economy. The Great Firewall is one approach China tries to censor their people. Many techniques are used to establish this cyber boundary such as firewalls, real-name internet registration, filtering, political controls, police actions and governmental controls. These controls are being challenged by Chinese nationals through the mass public, technology, and software. There are many political, diplomatic, international, and non-governmental organizations who continue their efforts to minimize the affects of the Great Firewall. The United States finds itself in a unique situation trying to eliminate human rights violations while encouraging freedom. Some United States companies find themselves in a moral dilemma accept the Chinese requirements to do business which may include supporting censorship and human rights violations or to eliminate doing business with the Chinese and missing out on a great financial opportunity.