China’s Censorship of the Internet
Recently, many news outlets have had their eyes on China. One reason for this is China’s recent censorship on the internet. China’s plans for censorship have not only affected Chinese citizens, but the United States and other countries as well.
The plan calls for the censorship or complete ban of various forms of media against the President of China, Xi Jinping, the government, and the Communist party in any way. The actions taken by China’s government against internet outlets limit the public’s access to many popular websites like Google, Twitter, and Facebook.
The government has gone to great lengths, even censoring characters in children’s books like Winnie the Pooh. This Disney character has been blocked from the Chinese internet because the character has been used to mock Xi Jinping. The president himself is not well liked by many citizens of China, especially in and around the capital of Beijing. Chinese citizens have used every opportunity to speak up against Jinping in light of the censorship of the internet. Protestors created various pictures of Jinping and Winnie on the internet, showing a side-to-side comparison of the two, leading to the eventual banning of the beloved character.
The show, South Park, shared a similar fate as Winnie the Pooh. The series has been banned for airing two episodes that mocked China and their actions against the internet and citizens. In the episode, “Band in China,” Randy Brash works in China to help his business grow, but the episode points out the unfavorable conditions of his work and offers criticisms of the Comunnist party. Randy goes as far as mentioning Winnie the Pooh, portraying the character in a prison cell. The following episode, “SHOT!!!”, shows Randy using profanities in reference to the Chinese government, after being forced to work non stop. China did not react positively to the episodes, and South Park was banned from the country entirely.
China has also reacted to comments from the NBA after a tweet from Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, that said, “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.” Morey’s comment upset many sponsors and broadcasters from China, who then proceeded to quickly stop airing games with the Houston Rockets. Morcey said in follow-up tweets that he does not regret the tweet that supported Hong Kong, writing, “My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA." However, not everyone is on the same page. Basketball player, James Harden, spoke against Morey by expressing his love for China and his hope that the NBA and China could make up after the incident. China is one of the NBA’s most popular countries when it comes to streaming their games, receiving millions of views and sponsorships since 2002.
On the gaming platform, a popular video game, Hearthstone, has gotten into hot water because of a streamer from Hong Kong who expressed his support of democracy in the country. The streamer, ‘Blitzchung’, received a one year suspension and lost prize money that was awarded to him after partaking in a Hearthstone tournament from Blizzard, the company behind the game. It happened during the tournament when the gamer briefly spoke about his stand on the issues in Hong Kong by saying, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age!" and wearing a gas mask in the live interview. Shortly after the story hit the internet, Blizzard, put up an apology on their official website for the game and reduced Blitzchung’s suspension to six months, giving the streamer his prize money. The company states in the apology that “our relationships in China had no influence on our decision… If this had been the opposing viewpoint delivered in the same divisive and deliberate way, we would have felt and acted the same.”
The censorship and bans have placed China in the spotlight and represent the lack of freedom for the citizens of China. China’s internet censorship goes to show how the absence of democracy can affect people’s lives.
BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-49968867
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-40627855
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49956385
Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/south-park-takes-on-chinese-government-in-300th-episode-201 https://www.businessinsider.com/blizzard-reduces-pro-hong-kong-hearthstone-player-blitzchungs-ban-2019-10