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China Censorship

Final calendar week, Chinese literary critic, author, poet, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and long-time civil rights activist Liu Xiaobo died of terminal liver cancer. Ever since then, China's web of censorship and online suppression is reportedly working around the clock to prevent whatever sort of discussion or movement that could build around the outspoken activist's work.

According to the Citizen Lab at the Academy of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, there was a meaning shift in Chinese censorship patterns following Liu's death. The Citizen Lab analyzed the Chinese messaging app WeChat past Tencent (the same people who own League of Legends, for the curious). According to their work, the number and scope of keywords and keyword combinations that were being censored grew enormously following his death. They write:

Our analysis of WeChat keyword-based censorship shows that subsequently his death messages containing his proper name in English and in both simplified and traditional Chinese are blocked. His decease is besides the outset time we see image filtering in ane-to-one chat, in addition to image filtering in grouping chats and WeChat moments.

Sina Weibo maintains a ban on searches for Liu Xiaobo's name in English and Chinese (both simplified and traditional). However, since his passing, his given name (Xiaobo) lonely is enough to trigger censorship, showing increased censorship on the platform and a recognition that his passing is a peculiarly sensitive consequence.

Sina Weibo is typically described as a hybrid betwixt Facebook and Twitter, a concept which would send nigh sane people screaming from the room. It's one of the most pop social media sites in mainland People's republic of china. Cracking downward on what people can say or practice in these popular applications is a powerful mode to prevent expressions of grief or frustration that could pb to popular uprisings or trigger unrest.

LiuPeacePrize

Liu beingness awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. Photo by Marta B. Haga/MFA, Oslo

In addition to automated blocking, multiple Chinese cyberspace companies also employ human employees to retroactively search social media posts and remove anything that might have slipped through the automatic censorship system. Since WeChat never notifies y'all that a message sent to you was blocked due to violating censorship rules, the intended recipient never even knows yous intended to share the data. The New York Times reports:

"On the twenty-four hour period afterwards Mr. Liu's death, one user posted on his WeChat feed: 'Did yous encounter what I merely sent?' 'No, I can't see it.' For the last two days, this has been the constant question and answer among friends."

Chinese wishing to discuss Mr. Liu's decease have plant temporary ways around the trouble, referring to him as "Brother Liu" or just XXX, simply these kinds of tactics are short-term solutions. As the government becomes aware of them, it tin ban them as well.

More chillingly, however, is the fact that such bans really need just exist temporary. Clamp down on reporting of an event when it happens, forbid the news from being widely shared, wait for something else to happen that grabs people'south attending, and then quietly movement on to preventing further discussion on future topics. If Liu becomes a major focus of conversation once again, the regime tin reapply the same tactics to limit the word. Since people literally don't know what they don't know, it's an effective way to steer coverage of events away from sure ideas, events, or people and towards "safer" alternatives.

Now read: 20 All-time Tips to Stay Bearding and Protect Your Online Privacy