CHINA appears to be moving aggressively to plug holes in its ‘Great Firewall’ censorship system, causing frustration for businesses and web users, foreign Internet companies and analysts said.
Google’s email service Gmail has been heavily disrupted, as have several popular online services providing encryption software that many businesses and individuals depend on for web security and to get around the firewall.
The problems have followed a call for subtle, weekly ‘strolling’ protests in China inspired by political uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, and indicate the government is intent on nipping dissent in the bud, analysts said.
‘They’re testing new capabilities to see if there are technical means of dealing with the possibility of organised opposition,’ Russell Leigh Moses, a Beijing-based political analyst, told AFP.
China operates an ever-expanding system of Internet control and censorship dubbed the ‘Great Firewall of China’, aimed at snuffing out information or comment that the government considers a threat to its authority.
Gmail users have complained of access difficulties in recent weeks that have forced some to switch to other services such as Hotmail and Yahoo!, and Google points the finger at the Chinese government.
Very informative post. Thanks for taking the time to share your view with us.