1. round a month or so ago, the Chinese
government increased restrictions
on China’s already limited Internet access. This
“Great Firewall,” as critics of government inter-
vention of the Internet call it, is now blocking vir-
tual private networks (VPN) such as Astrill and
Golden Frog (Bernard). Since the VPNs allow
users to visit foreign websites through encrypted
links, they are ideal for common Chinese citizens
as well as academics who wish to gain access to
information from sources abroad that have been
censored by the Chinese government.
According to BBC News, China’s motiva-
tion for going to such lengths to restrict VPN use
may be tied to the Chinese government’s commit-
THE GREAT FIREWALL
OF CHINA ment to “preserve China’s cyberspace sovereign-
ty” as well as to shield citizens from international
news sources regarding unfavorable discussions
of the Chinese Communist Party (China).
While the Chinese government’s reason
for restricting VPN access can be seen as a way
to preserve order, the “Great Firewall” not only
angers Chinese citizens, but also harms China’s
development in various sectors including technol-
ogy, science, and entrepreneurship among others.
Through VPNs, many Chinese academics
and scientists were able to access information
through sources such as Google Scholar (which
is in essence an enormous database of academ-
ic papers) as well as other information sharing
tools online. A disgruntled biologist expressed his
frustration at the recent attack on Internet access:
“for a nation that professes to respect science and
wants to promote scientific learning, such barri-
ers suggest little respect for the people actually
engaged in science” (Jacobs).
In addition, the byzantine regulations of
Internet access now coupled with restricted VPNs
make it harder for foreign investors and entre-
preneurs to conduct business on the mainland.
James Zimmerman, the chairman of the American
A

2. by Jung Won Kim ‘18
Chamber of Commerce in China, shared his con-
cern of how an “unfortunate result of excessive
control over email and Internet traffic [can slow]
down…legitimate commerce” (Jacobs).
In fact, in addition to the many online re-
strictions in place already, China has also required
that U.S technology companies who do business
with Chinese banks “turn over sensitive intellec-
tual property” such as source codes (Dou). These
kinds of online regulation are discouraging inter-
national businesses from working with Chinese
counterparts and may negatively affect China’s
standing in the business world.
China has long claimed to support the de-
velopment of technology and the sciences as well
as the in-flow of foreign investments. If China
truly wants to maintain its miraculous economic
and societal rise, it must break down the Great
Firewall. As much as China restricts its online
freedom, it also restricts its developmental capa-
bilities.
Table 1: Top keywords distinguishing
internet posts held for review versus not
held for review

3. Sources:
Bernard, Doug. “China’s Net Blocking Signals Larger Web Crackdown.” VOA. VOA, 3 Feb. 2015.
Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
“China Blocks Virtual Network Use.” BBC News. BBC News, 26 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Feb. 2015.
Dou, Eva. “U.S., China Discuss Proposed Banking Security Rules.” WSJ. WSJ, 13 Feb. 2015. Web.
16 Feb. 2015.
Jacobs, Andrew. “China Further Tightens Grip on the Internet.” The New York Times. The New York
Times, 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Images:
Cartoon 1: http://www.vericant.com/over-the-great-firewall-using-pinterest/
Cartoon 2: http://thereformedbroker.com/2010/03/29/about-that-chinese-firewall/
February 21, 2015