How does it feel when your voice is muted against your will? When your expressions are obscured? When your communications are monitored? This is exactly what the Chinese government is doing by censoring the use of internet for their citizens. Chinese government has always been very controlling but with their control over the usage of the internet they have surpassed all previous nosiness. Internet was believed to be the most powerful medium for connecting an individual to the world. It is the most potent weapon for citizens of a country for telling the world about their lives and their plights. Probably the fear of exposure has led to the actions taken by the Chinese government.
Scholars and lawyers who had raised their individual voices against the atrocities of the government have got their social networking accounts deleted. They do not even get answers as to why the account was deleted or who ordered it. Murong Xuecun’s Weibo account got deleted on 11th May. He had cautioned a friend through his social media account saying that his account can get deleted but he should start again and write every word that he believes in again as a protest. Two days after this conversation his Weibo account was deleted due to higher authority instructions sent to the social networking sites management. No names were disclosed. Such acts of silent autonomy are leading to mass frustration among the Chinese people.
Internet has inspired the present generation to start new business based on web media and internet activities. The Chinese startups are facing problem due to the internet repression. Interacting with others has to be done with caution. Any statement or comment that you make online will possibly get checked and scrutinized. Most websites do not open and the speed of loading is so slow that most users get frustrated and give up. The starts up businesses are suffering due to this. The Chinese government has spent more than $770 million on the ‘Golden Shield Project’ or the Great Firewall that censors the web content strictly.
Though many are indignant and frustrated by the slow loading of sites and increasing numbers of banned sites it can’t be denied that the web censorship policy has its benefits as well. It has curbed the attempts of international companies from growing a strong hold of the wide and thriving China consumer market. This has actually been profitable for the small Chinese companies.
