Everyone has heard of the Great Wall of China, but many people are unaware of a technological wall that bars Chinese from viewing information on the internet, in cell phone texts, or even in videos. The Great Firewall of China is a country wide filter on the internet that is monitored 24/7 by more than 30,000 Chinese workers. The wall was put in place to keep information from the public that might jeopardize the governments power. A list of 987 words have been banned from being used in blogs, texts, or instant messengers in China. Topics such as the Tienanmen Square massacre, Taiwan independence, or even freedom are blocked from the general public on the internet.
Websites are constantly being monitored by workers to make sure that the none of the listed words are used on the internet. Even companies from other countries have to limit themselves to these restrictions if they wish to get their technology into China. Companies like Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Skype have had to comply to China's rules to even get their websites approved to be used. Many believe that China's Great Firewall is a tool used to try and keep the general public from turning against the government.
I decided to update my blog with a little news. Google has decided to move its headquarters to Hong Kong from Beijing where it is not required by law to censor material on the internet. Google is trying to make a stance of freedom of speech.
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