Are People In China Happy With The Great Firewall?

from the some-of-them-appear-to-be dept

Fri, May 16th 2008 9:21am — Mike Masnick

We've heard this argument plenty of times in the past, but a recent study suggests that 85% of people surveyed in China are perfectly fine with the Great Firewall, saying that they believe the government has a responsibility to "protect" them from dangerous content. Of course, this is always how the government has positioned the filter: not as "blocking" content it doesn't like, but as protecting citizens from "dangerous" content. Before people act surprised about this, take a step back and recognize that if you did the same study in the US, asking if the government should be protecting children from "bad stuff" online, many Americans would naturally say yes. That doesn't necessarily mean that either is okay -- but does suggest how different the answers are based on how the question is positioned.

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Filed Under: china, contentment, government, great firewall, protection, regulation

25 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2008 @ 9:27am

The strict government's effect
Also remember that many Chinese citizens have been essentially 'briefed' on what to say in response to hot topics like the olympics and the Great Firewall.

Watch a newscast filmed in China about the Olympics - and notice how rehearsed the average citizen's responses are.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2008 @ 9:46am

of course theyre happy with it. their health and their family's health depends on them being "happy" with it.
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drkkgt, 16 May 2008 @ 9:57am

reminds me of a wizard of id comic I saw a long time ago. An "inspector" asks a prisoner on a rack how he is treated, the prisoner says he "can't complain." When asked why he says "it is forbidden."
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Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2008 @ 10:09am

Naturally Americans can't comprehend that their way isn't the only way.
Couch politicians who govern the world they have never seen.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2008 @ 10:19am

In related news
The other 15% are in prison
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Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2008 @ 10:34am

Re:
You are absolutely correct. Only Americans have the desire to be free from tyranny and oppression. The rest of the world is perfectly happy being under the absolute control of those in power. Give me a break.
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xs, 16 May 2008 @ 10:43am

Re: Re: by Anonymous Coward
Only if everybody's definition of what tyranny and oppression is the same as yours, which they aren't. To many, the US's relentless push for "Democracy" and "Value" is just as much of a tyranny and oppression as any other dictator.
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du, 16 May 2008 @ 10:43am

A quick question
How much did the Great Firewall cost to build?

Does it stop spam and malicious sites?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2008 @ 10:53am

"You are absolutely correct. Only Americans have the desire to be free from tyranny and oppression."

My point exactly, what American's are thinking is the peak of human existence is considered by other cultures as a society of "tyranny and oppression".

The current government endorsing torture.

No right to privacy or a trial if the current government deems you a national threat.

Starting wars on no grounds. Killing over 100,000 innocents in another country because they are... what? Not of same faith? Government conviction?

Take a look around you and see what a country can be like. You will see that America is a turd that people of pride keeps polishing. Still a turd though.

Indeed a nation free of "tyranny and oppression".
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Wes, 16 May 2008 @ 11:06am

Re:
Are you crazy?

#9

Comparing the minor trangresstions of a few isolated examples is silly.

Have you ever met anyone from Iraq? I have several friends from Iran and Iraq and I can tell you they want those people even less than they want the americans.

There are obvious exaples of breaches of power and authority, but in time they will be resolved. Do you think that the same will happen in China? In america (and the rest of the free world) you have something called choice. You can choose to do nothing and let the bad eggs ruin the county for the rest of us. That is your choice. But at least you have a choice.

That is the essence of freedom. Not some silly rant about how George bush is the Spawn of Satan.

Get a life
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Overcast, 16 May 2008 @ 11:11am

The current government endorsing torture.

No right to privacy or a trial if the current government deems you a national threat.

At the moment; however - we are free to speak out against the government. We are also free enough to leave it's borders for good, if we so choose.
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powerkor, 16 May 2008 @ 11:28am

Its all about perspective. People lack it. Lacked for many reasons... the list could be endless. But if you have perspective, then every coin has atleast two sides.

This can be applied to any argument and controversy, but still, with all the problems and conflicts, it is not present, and people still never see the other side.
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Micha, 16 May 2008 @ 11:31am

China's Firewall
Hi:
China has been okay with Americans for the most part and we did help them in WWII with the Flying Tigers and other deeds. I feel China is a huge military problem with the sub bases and large standing army. Yet Vietnam militia beat back three large forces with just the crap we left behing in our rapid departure. The China firewall is just an example of how they stay just under the radar... Look out America and Israel and Britain and even EU nations they are blocking now but soon will be opening up.
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mdmadph (profile), 16 May 2008 @ 12:19pm

Re: Re: Re: by Anonymous Coward
Only because our intentions aren't just. (WE REALLY JUST WANTS YOUR OILS)

If we honestly just wanted to push Democracy, you'd have to be crazy not to see that as a good thing.
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Kenneth P. Turvey, 16 May 2008 @ 1:26pm

China
We certainly have our problems in the US, but to compare the freedom of the Chinese favorably to the freedom enjoyed by US citizens and residents is really stretching the limits of credulity.

On the subject of spreading democracy.. Democracy isn't always a good thing. If the entire world were run by a democracy it would look much more like Iran and China than like the US. People would clamor for the government to protect them from the evils of the world and it would. Most people in the world do not have any concept of a right to free expression or religion, or many of the other rights we all expect in the US. Why is torture common in China? Because many of the Chinese see it as way to protect their neighbors from the bad guys. Why is the great firewall there? Because many Chinese think that the average citizen can't be trusted with all the information available on the Internet.

Iran, in many ways, is a functioning democracy. It just isn't the kind that we want.
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Kenneth P. Turvey, 16 May 2008 @ 1:30pm

How does one really do a study like this in China? Can we trust the results?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 May 2008 @ 1:32pm

Re:
The only turd is you, you piece of sh*t. Move to fuk'n China or some other country and show what you're made of.

That's what I thought - you're made of turds.
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JS Beckerist, 16 May 2008 @ 2:28pm

Re:
I remember that, I'll see if I can dig it up.
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Nicholas Iler, 16 May 2008 @ 2:39pm

From Inter-net to Muti-net
The problem with doing this kind of harsh blocking of what you consider harmful and what is not breaks the internet in to muti-networks. As an Network Administrator I have seen in many cases when we set out to block harmful websites we often end up also blocking very useful websites.
Same goes for email and spam protection. You can no longer be certain that you are receiving everything that was sent to you with good intentions. It is often a possibility that something useful has gone straight to spam.

But these examples are pretty harmless. I believe the best way to protect your citizens is not by creating Muti-nets, we've had muti-nets since the telephone.
A better way would be to distribute certified routers that have rules predefined with updates and allow those who are nervous and not net savvy to protect them selves and the rest be apart of the Internet.

Internet is a world wide network. Why break that up?
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porkster, 18 May 2008 @ 3:26pm

We'll save you!!
By GOD! we'll give these people democracy if they want it or not!
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amaress, 18 May 2008 @ 11:17pm

Re: We'll save you!!
Not the Chinese, that'd be scary. Where would we get our poisoned dog food and led-paint toys if we went to war with China? Besides, they own all our debt.
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some random patriot, 19 May 2008 @ 9:45am

tyranny?
The fact that post number 9 wasn't filtered out automatically, and hasn't been taken down by the government (nor do we expect it to be), is proof enough of the relative merits of living in the US instead of China.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 May 2008 @ 6:47am

Re: Re: Re: by Anonymous Coward
No, I believe the words tyranny and oppression have a rather clear and universal definition, and though the U.S. does indeed have it's fair share, that does not mean Americans (along with most inhabitants of this world) do not desire freedom.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Jun 2008 @ 9:28pm

Re: Re:
Ehh. I disagree with the OP, but you managed to make no point. -1.
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