Can China muzzle the Internet forever?

by L.A. Times Posted 2012/12/27 20:00:00

Related Topics: China, Chinese, Facebook, New York, New York Times, Twitter, Online, Internet, Gmail, The New York Times, Website, Network, Websites, Image, Software, Tech, Virtual

Read More

528 votes
Read all 106 opinions
Lightning Report View Results and Demographics + View Demographics

Loading Demographics... Click an icon to see demographic results Display unknown and private
	Yes	123 votes	23%
	No	405 votes	77%

For years, China’s net nannies turned the other cheek to a loophole in their vast online censorship apparatus. Anyone who wanted access to blocked overseas websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and more recently, the New York Times, need only download foreign software called a virtual private network (VPN) to circumvent the Great Firewall.

But in recent weeks, even these tools have begun to falter, frustrating tech-savvy Chinese and foreign businesspeople who now struggle to access Internet sites as innocuous as gmail.com and imdb.com.

+13

Add a comment above

TheBadOne 2012/12/27 21:32:22

No

+10
Can't happen forever. I think China's a moment away from a serious social upheaval.
>> See Replies

More polls by L.A. Times

Leslie Goudy 2013/01/05 05:12:48

Yes

Interesting . I think they can as long as we are king of the money and I don't see that ending soon

reply
SoCalEx-Dem 2013/01/04 19:18:18

Yes

+1
Who's going to stop them?

reply
ID51 2013/01/04 15:57:55

No

At least I hope not.

reply
Racefish 2013/01/04 15:32:50

No

I wonder if Hughes Net is available there.

reply
Brian 2013/01/04 00:57:24

Yes

+2
Yes China can and will continue to censor the internet, and Obama and his adminstration is salivating at the prospect of doing the same thing in this country.

reply
Elaine Magliacane 2013/01/03 22:30:47

No

Don't know why they try....

reply
PC Gamer Name "Angry Assassin" 2013/01/03 20:37:21

No

Sooner or later, there's going to be a counter-Revolution in China.

reply
xprimale 2013/01/03 20:21:39

No

They're slowly drifting away from Communism (as the US slowly drifts towards Communism), and more and more sites will become available to the public.

reply
elvira 2013/01/03 13:05:40

No

The "Wall" will come down.

reply
Chi~Cat 2013/01/03 11:24:42

Yes

+2
Their people are disarmed by their own Government. Yes, it is very possible.

They do not have a great track record, and we are on that road to ruin.

reply
Murph 2013/01/02 21:29:11 (edited)

Yes

+3
They can do anything they want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?...
If you protest the government in China, they kill you.

reply
Willy to Murph 2013/01/04 00:59:56

+1
That's the way it will be here after the b@stard gets done with us.

reply
andy15554 2013/01/02 20:33:52

Yes

+3
Sure they can, I had an associate who was suddenly gone, and the factory made excuses for him, then the owner finally told me that Sam had been arrested for betting online on a soccer game and spent 3 months in prison. When you're over there you can't access any of those websites. But Sodahead works.

reply
Resp 2013/01/02 19:19:44

Yes

+1
Yes. And I hope China can muzzle Honey Boo Boo Child and Kim Kardashian.

reply
Fidelito 2013/01/02 19:14:50 (edited)

Yes

The Chineese government is not afraid of their population, unlike the USA.

reply
Brian to Fidelito 2013/01/04 01:00:46

+1
Our government isn't afraid of us, if they were the "Afordable health care act" would never have been shoved done our throats the way it was.

reply
Fidelito to Brian 2013/01/04 15:23:47

+1
Well, at least you called the law by its real name (Obama Care). Lol...

reply
Brian to Fidelito 2013/01/05 00:07:30

Yes thats it's real name and it will have real life consequences too

reply
marc.chamot 2013/01/02 16:52:04

No

Doubt it.. of what I understand, main computer frames or grids are under U.S. control...the U.S. can muzzle the Internet...China can hack and put out viruses to damage computers...

reply
Bjm54 2013/01/02 08:25:24

No

+1
They can't muzzle free expression forever, but they will try their best. Damn Communist bastards.

reply
Phil 2013/01/02 05:04:01

Yes

+2
Of course they can. Look at what's happening here. Who would have thought bit by bit our internet is being muffled and we are supposed to be the "Land of the Free" China already has a systems in place to control and "Muffle" their Internet. So yes they can muffle it forever if they wished.

reply
Gangstersteve1993 2013/01/02 04:37:55

No

Well the Chinese Commie party haven't taken satilites;hackers and some other technical devices into account for free access. Well epsept from Wi-fi.

reply
Sperry23 2013/01/02 02:39:53

No

+2
But it won't stop them from trying.

reply
Spooner 2013/01/02 02:27:29

No

+1
China has been through a dozen political manefistations without losing it's culture. We should be so lucky. When their government becomes oppressive is is periodically overthrown, the internet will bust free sooner rather than later.

reply
Wulfdane 2013/01/01 17:59:56

Yes

+1
China is not the US, the Chinese people have no right to bear arms and they do have the means to challenge those in power. They are an unarmed population at the mercy of those in power.

The Chinese government has shown its willingness to use tanks against their unarmed population, their willingness to slaughter their own people and China doesn't give a damn what the world thinks.

reply
Spooner to Wulfdane 2013/01/02 02:21:35

Yeah, wasn't Kent State governmet shooting in China?

reply
Wulfdane to Spooner 2013/01/02 03:03:14

Nope.

reply
Sandra 2013/01/01 09:40:15

No

+2
I hope not anyway.

reply
CUDDLY BUT STILL CRABBY 2012/12/31 20:03:03

No

+3
But they can turn off the electricity just the same. And they will if they believe it will solve the problem of freedom on the internet.

reply
Alex Goldsmith 2012/12/31 14:54:58

No

+1
there's always a way around firewalls

reply
Cleaver62 2012/12/31 10:01:07

Yes

+2
Sure they can. Even here in the US, everyday, ISPs are blocking things they and our government don't want you to be able to access. They monitor everything you say and every site you visit. Our legislators are even voting on net neutrality laws that will allow ISPs to dictate where you go and what you see. The more money internet sits pay, the more visibility they will have. Many ISPs are already blocking file sharing sites so you can't download music illegally. If that isn't censorship, I don't know what is.

reply
Mike 2012/12/30 19:56:53

No

One day, I expect to see the CCP lose its monopoly on political power.
Then a lot of these archaic restrictions will disappear.

reply
L1 2012/12/30 17:31:06

No

+1
Not forever...

reply
Larre 2012/12/30 06:33:19

No

+2
Soon enough China will have to give in to the dark side :-)

reply
redhorse29 2012/12/30 06:00:10

Yes

+4
Yes. China's government can control it within their borders for as long as they want. The world-wide government trend is toward greater and greater control of the internet. I believe every nation in the world monitors the internet just like it does books, paper media, telephone, radio and television content. This includes the US.

reply
KeeganTheAwesome 2012/12/30 05:47:33

No

+3
If history has two pennies to put in, it'd remind us of how often people who try to control other people's access to knowledge get trampled in the end. China's leaders will get trampled one day as well.

reply
Derbyhat 2012/12/30 04:41:32

Yes

+2
A bullet doesn't travel as fast as electrons, but electrons don't leave a blood splatter!

reply
Jay Theyme 2012/12/29 18:26:43

No

+2
When in China - I am blocked from Youtube, facebook (not gmail so far) pretty much any pornography (which, it happens is nice),
however,
more significant - if you are in China and you are online duly note: They (government) absolutely CAN 100% monitor, save, review ANYTHING coming or going back and forth from your computer.
Just keep that in mind. There is no 'amendments' or 'rights' or anything IN China preventing that.

*Allegedly - there are floors full of 100s of 'monitors' and again - they have 100% right to monitor ANY data coming in or out of China.
**whether anyone cares about your email or posts is another story.

reply
Muver to Jay Theyme 2012/12/30 02:58:36

+3
I think that happens here as well....I can tell you one thing...weird things happen with my
computer when I am here on SH....my firewalls do not like this site nor do any of my other
protections...

reply
C. C. Rider 2012/12/29 13:46:31

No

+5
China is about to get a rude awakening from their own people. IT is almost like watching our own history over there in the birth of Unions and why they were created.

The American Corporations that screwed over the US and went over there with the jobs for cheap labor and abuse of the working man is about to get their coporate asses kicked. It seems the sleeping giant is awakening and going after the CEO's. God help them, the treasonous bastards that screwed us too.

reply