The Internet in China

A Chinese civil society is constructed by independent, open mind organizations and networks to constitute the public territory. The Chinese government is worried that the development of civil society will challenge the government's authority, on the other hand, they also hope it can assist in the delivery of public services. With the rise of the internet in China, the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) have shown ambivalence toward its effect. Also, the restriction of Chinese Communist Party has changed with the rise of internet.

Since the Internet first entered China in September 1987, the government has used a multilayered strategy to control online content and monitor online activities at every level of Internet service. Authorities at various levels employ a complex web of regulations, surveillance, imprisonment, propaganda, and the blockade of hundreds of thousands of international Web sites at the national gateway level, known as the Great Firewall.

Moreover, several political bodies are in charge of Internet content, including prominently the CCP central Propaganda Department, which ensures that media and cultural content follows the official line as mandated by the CCP, and the State Council Information Office (SCIO), which oversees all websites, both official and independent, that publish and post news, including official sites of news organizations as well as independent sites that post news content. Those officials go beyond the centre's instructions to issue their own censorship directives, and to fine, threaten, or close down media outlets that report information they do not wish be made public. For instance, officials use a number of tactics to control online content, including keyword filtering through which posts on politically sensitive topics can be automatically censored. A list obtained by the China Internet Project in Berkeley found that over 1000 words, including 'dictatorship', 'truth', and 'riot police', are automatically banned in China's online forums. It is obvious that the Chinese Government use this kind of control to deter the growth of Chinese civil society.

Throughout 2008, Internet control was increasingly tightened because of government attempts to present a harmonious image to the world during the Olympics. Since the beginning of 2009, Chinese government has further systematically escalated control over the Internet. For example, on 5 January, Ministry of industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Culture, and three other ministries and agencies jointly launched an antivulgaritaimed campaign aimed at all search engines, Web hosting and online communities. 'Antivulgarity' is defined broadly to include not just pornography, but also dirty words, slang expressions, and images that are socially and politically unacceptable. The interpretation of what is vulgar varies among different government agencies. According to official Chinese media reports, thousands of Websites were closed as part of this campaign.

In the run-up to the twentieth anniversary of the 4 June massacre at closed down in the name of "technical maintenance." Prominent foreign Web 2.0 services outside of China, such as Twitter,