The Great Firewall of China

Reporter and CNN International producer James Griffiths – who has reported from Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Australia – details the way China censors the internet. Westerners once hoped online communication would bring free speech or even democracy to China. Instead, Beijing’s authoritarian regime has turned the internet into a terrifyingly effective weapon that spies on Chinese citizens and keeps dissent in check. Griffiths offers eye-opening examples of how China imposes its will on cyberspace.

Monitoring and Control

Beijing exploits the internet to monitor its citizens. In the early years of the internet, the Chinese government did not stifle free speech online. Officials saw the web as a niche tool for academics. In 1994, only 2,000 people in China had internet access.But, by 1996, Premier Li Peng had signed an order barring people from using the internet to contest the government.