Enemy of the Internet

By Sam Ferguson / December 18, 2015;

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has this month branded China “the world’s leading enemy of the internet”. The organisation also called for a boycott of the World Internet Conference. The event, organised by China, was held from December 16 – 18 and attended by leaders of some of the biggest Chinese and foreign internet companies.

Among the attendees was LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Hoffman has agree to create a Chinese LinkedIn which will be policed and subject to constant surveillance by the Chinese government.

Lu Wei, head of the Cyberspace Admistration of china
Photo: china.com.cn

Lu Wei, head of Cyberspace Administration of China, claimed China’s close control of online information is no different from any other country’s, saying “Freedom is our goal and order is our means. Controlling the Internet is necessary in order to correct rumours. It protects the rights and interests of internet users.” Lu is quoted as believing that internet censorship is needed to keep a balance between freedom and order.

RSF has called on the international community to “correct the fairy tales” of Lu Wei. Benjamin Ismail, head of RSF’s Asia Pacific desk said “China does more than ‘manage the Internet.’ It closely monitors all information accessible to Internet users and systematically blocks any criticism or revelations that are embarrassing for the Communist Party.”

China has been the target of criticism over its reliance on the “Great Firewall of China”, one of the world’s most elaborate systems of Internet censorship.

The Non Government Organisation GreatFire.org has also condemned the World Internet Conference. GreatFire’s co-founder Charlie Smith, speaking to RSF, said “The thousand foreign guests who have agreed to attend the conference should be ashamed of themselves.”GreatFire.org say they “bring transparency to the Great Firewall of China. We have monitored blocked websites and keywords since 2011.”

RSF was founded in 1995 as a non-profit organisation specialising in research on internet censorship and the new media. They provide financial and psychological assistance to journalists operating in dangerous areas. The organisation has consultant status with the United Nations and UNESCO.