An export we don't want

As the Olympics draw ever-nearer, China is finishing off all the facilities for the Games and readying its populace for what it hopes will be a pr coup around the world for the Chinese regime.

Sad to say, China is also going ahead full-bottle on internet censorship in the country - and even more troubling still exporting it as well.

Spiegel OnLine International reports:

"Just in the time for the Olympics, the Chinese government has proved itself to be a pioneer as well as a top exporter in cutting-edge online censorship methods. And Western firms still give Beijing their active support.

"Virtual police" cartoons remind Web users in China that the government can see what they're doing.

Conventional wisdom has it that the Internet can withstand anything. Attempts to censor it are about as futile as trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. Experts have claimed that if blocked, the flow of information will simply reroute to reach its target. Too bad China isn’t listening to the experts.

"Golden Shield" is the term Chinese officials use for what may be the most sophisticated censorship system in the world. Critics like to refer to it as the Great Firewall of China (GFC). Whichever term you choose, it’s clear that over the past two weeks this virtual wall has withstood its first major trial by fire."

Read the complete piece here - and be concerned.

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