Surveillance of The Cyber World

Social networking sites as a new public sphere which allowed the users to express their own opinion to everyone, even to the Government. The Media has thus been one of the main intermediary institutions in the public sphere. Since the 19th century, the media have, however, changed in terms of space, time and physical barriers. (Smuts, 2010) Also, the public sphere needs to manifest commitments to freedom and equality in the communicative interaction between those taking part in the deliberative process (Bohman,1998:73).

 

Have you ever tried to login Facebook, Instagram or Google account when you are travelling China? Indeed, the China Government has banned the access of these “foreign” social media platforms as their citizens are under a heavy surveillance of their internet using. Under the surveillance of the Chinese Government, the Government has hired many “internet commentators” to scour the internet. Screening the information that uploaded by the citizens and negating some news that may destroy the Government reputations.

 

Therefore, all the posts that you saw in Chinese social media platforms have already “censored” by the Government. The users could not investigate the sources provided online are either stay to the truth or not. Besides, there was a significant and well-known example, 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, also called June Fourth Incident. The Government has killed lots of University Students who against to the Government. All the sensitive vocabularies and any combination of 6 and 4 will be strictly prohibited. People neither share their own opinion of this incident nor comment on the Government.

 

On the outside of China, we always wonder why Chinese Government need to monitor their cyber users tightly, is to prevent the cyber-war or to protect their reputation?

Winnie the Pooh was banned by China as someone was “teasing” the similarity between President Xi and Winnie the Pooh.

“Winnie the Pooh was banned by China as someone was “teasing” the similarity between President Xi and Winnie the Pooh.”

 

Reference:

1. Smuts. L. M (2010). Social Networking Sites as a New Public Sphere: Facebook and its Potential to Facilitate Public Opinion as the Function of Public Discourse –A Case Study of the 2008 Obama Campaign
2. Bohman, J. & Rehg, W. (eds.) Deliberative Democracy: Essays on Reason andPolitics. Studies in Contemporarty German Social Thought Serues. Massachusetts: MIT Press.