We've all heard news and stories about China's internet access, but what's the truth?
As with so many things in our daily lives, the internet is something we often take for granted. It's just always there, and whenever we want something, need to look up a fact or simply jump on Facebook or Twitter, we can. It's ubiquitous, and we're lost without it. Just ask anyone how desperate they feel in a power cut or when their ISP is having problems. You know, first-world problems. We need the internet, pure and simple.
Spare a thought, then, for the people who live in countries where the internet isn't so freely available, certainly not in the way we expect it to be. Some countries look on the internet very differently and don't see it as a simple tool for information, communication and entertainment, but instead see it as a potential way to bring chaos to the populace or campaign against the government.
You may think this sounds a little hyperbolic, but consider that the public with internet access in Cuba are reported to around 5% (and that's through one of only two state-owned and monitored ISPs), and Iran also strictly monitors any internet access, with strong reprisals for anyone who attempts to circumvent the restrictions. The internet may be seen as the poster child for free speech in many countries, but not all. Many countries with high internet censorship also suffer from some of the slowest speeds and throttling too, which doesn't help matters.
There are many countries that place restrictions on the public's internet access, even including places like Germany, but when the issues of internet censorship and control come up, it's usually China that springs to mind. But why?
Great Firewall Of China
China is well known when it comes to strict governance of its population, and this translates to the internet too, with what some may say is the most successful and impressive implementation of censorship ever put into action. The crux of this lies with what has become known as the 'Great Firewall'. This is a very complex system that monitors and filters content for internet users in China, and allows the government to control what people are allowed to view online.
When China first embraced the internet in the late 1980s, plans were put into place, even that early on, for a system of control. Despite naysayers claiming this kind of control was impossible and that trying to police the internet would be a waste of resources, China's Great Firewall worked and worked well.
Now a very complex system, paired with what is called the 'Golden Shield,' a method of internal surveillance used by the Ministry of Public Security, China's methods have allowed the government to achieve what many other governments would probably like, even if they don't publicly admit it. It's allowed China to both prosper, making full use of the internet in terms of business and government transparency, but ensuring any anti-government or otherwise unwanted activity is impossible. It has control and freedom, even if we users in the West would undoubtedly find the whole thing far too restrictive and controlled for our liking.
The control itself is a series of advanced content filters and blocks that monitor people's usage and prevent access to sites or content deemed unsuitable. The government of China blocks obviously troublesome sites in terms of its regime and policies, such as many western ideology and political sites, including a lot of Western publications and newspapers. While these blocks were heavy handed in the past, blocking entire websites, China's systems are now much more advanced, and individual pages of sites and specific results in search engines can be blocked instead, allowing a more surgical level of control. Various specific terms can also be blocked, meaning actual user searches are monitored and controlled too. Users aren't necessarily blocked from the internet, though, and instead are temporarily barred from searching, while other internet sites remain available. This was introduced when using sites like Google and is a little less controlling than many outsiders may have thought, even if it's still something Western users couldn't put up with.
China has a lot of ISPs, which may seem odd for a system that's so controlled, and unlike Cuba, these aren't owned by the government. However, updated restriction lists are sent out by the government on a regular basis, which ISPs quickly integrate, lest they face repercussions. There are a large number of people with the sole job of policing the internet in China, and they sift through everything, quickly blocking and censoring as dictated by the government. A heavy target for control is social media, as this is seen as an easy way for people to interact and, in turn, possibly concoct anti-establishment plans. Therefore, the likes of Facebook are usually heavily restricted and monitored.
The censorship of the internet isn't just used to hide certain information from the populace, but is used greatly to protect and promote the government itself. There's a lot of paid-for promotional content about the government posted online and, using censorship, any anti-government content is limited or removed quickly. This is to prevent any potential uprising or movements, especially those that take place in real life. Any plans for a real world march, for example, are quickly shot down by the censorship system, meaning the government essentially controls the voice of the people, preventing any dissidence.
It's easy for those outside of China to look in and see an unfair and restrictive system, and compared to the freedom we have, that may be true, but in truth, the measures put in place in China are a lot more subtle and targeted than many think. The people still have a great deal of internet freedom, and most of the censorship is purely for political reasons. Even some levels of political satire are allowed, as long as it doesn't directly attack the high-level people in power, of course.
That said, as a visitor to China, there are things that are useful to know beforehand, especially if you're planning to use the internet as you normally would when on a trip. Be prepared for some culture shock.
An Englishman In Beijing
As a traveller to China, you have to be aware of the very different approach to the internet the country has, and you can't expect to have the same level of accessibility you have at home or elsewhere in the world. It may not be the ultra-restricted access you may have thought it was, but it's still quite controlled, and a foreign passport won't grant you any special treatment.
Actual physical access is different in most places throughout China, especially on the mainland. Wi-fi access is quite rare, even in hotels and cafes, where you'd expect to find it. Higher-end hotels are likely to have wi-fi, but don't take this fact for granted, as it's not guaranteed. Instead, many places use wired connections and that’s if they have internet access in rooms at all. Some hotels have a dedicated 'business centre' where people can use the internet, and some have no internet access whatsoever.
Internet speeds in China can also be a major problem, whether due to issues with physical infrastructure or filtering and control. A report by China Daily (www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016even) claims the average broadband speed in China is around 9Mbps, placing the country 91st in global internet speed rankings, with South Korea being number one with an average of 26.7Mbps. When you consider China has an internet user base of around 688 million (which is one in two citizens), that average is very low. This means pages can take a long time to load - even the more basic sites - and as a Western user used to faster speeds, you may find internet use a little on the frustrating side even when you do get online, and that's before the censorship hits.
As we've mentioned, a lot of sites we may take for granted are not available within China or are, at the very least, restricted. Social media is often limited solely to the Chinese variant, and foreign localisations are not permitted. This applies to most forum-based discussions. Don't expect to be spending much, if any, time on Facebook.
A well-known issue most will have some knowledge of is Google. The internet giant has famously had problems with China, and although it's no longer totally blocked, it's still very restricted, and you may wish to use another, less problematic search engine. Google Mail is available in some capacity, but it's far from reliable. If you're a major user of Google's services, it's a good idea to look up some alternatives to use while you're in China. It'll be easier to avoid problems. You may even wish to forward your emails to another client temporarily, due to Gmail's potential unavailability.
Workarounds?
The seriousness of the restrictions in China by the government doesn't make it a good idea, but people do find ways around the myriad of censorship measures. As always, no matter what measures are put into place and whatever potential repercussions are, someone will always find a chink in the armour.
A popular method for Chinese users wanting access to restricted content lies with VPNs. The use of VPNs allows users to bypass the restrictions, as it does when people use the technology to fool region locks on content, but it's a solution that's greatly diminished, as the government's systems soon evolved to be able to detect and neutralise VPN software. It may still be possible to use such measures, including use by visitors to the country, but in truth, it's probably best not to bother, and go with the flow instead.
Even with no reliable workaround, you can prepare a little and check site access ahead of time, to give you an indication of which of your favourite sites you'll be able to access. Website www.greatfirewallofchina.org is a useful tool that can test websites and see if they're blocked by China's Great Firewall. Simply enter the address and you'll see which regions, if any, can access the site. We found Micro Mart was perfectly fine in all regions, but the BBC was blocked everywhere, probably due to news coverage and some specific programming.
This quick evolution of monitoring is another reason many tech experts are convinced China's approach to internet control may make it out of the country and be adopted by others - if not for the same total control use, for various security concerns, including law enforcement and national security. It's certainly not something the general public would want, but for various official uses, it's clear to see why it's a desired approach to take.
All this leaves internet users in China, at least the more casual everyday user, without any choice but to simply deal with the restrictions, and that includes visitors. There'll always be technically proficient users who can find ways around any measures, but the government's ability to adapt successfully deters and controls the majority of internet use.
Conclusion
The internet is seen as a global tool for communication, and it brings people together, regardless of their location. For some, however, the internet isn't as freely available, be it due to economic or political reasons. It's important to know the state of internet access in destinations you plan to travel to, and we hope our brief look at China and a couple of other heavily restricted online nations gives you some idea of what to expect and what to prepare for.
North Korea
China may get most of the press in terms of internet control, but compared to North Korea, China is a veritable advertisement for online freedom. The internet as we know it doesn't even exist in North Korea, and instead it's replaced with a locally hosted and controlled system. This is called the Kwangmyong, and it's a very limited isolated internet consisting of a few thousand sites. It has a search engine and the usual selection of news and current affairs sites. External sites can even be requested at times, but instead of actual access, sites are downloaded, censored and then made available in edited form locally from internal servers. The site isn't live, so there are no concerns about any unsuitable outside content.
As a North Korean, you'd actually be very lucky to even have this kind of access, because despite being free to use, computers are far from free, and their cost for the average North Korean is huge and simply unobtainable by most. This isn't even the biggest problem, because people need government permission to even own a computer. Needless to say, the internet isn't a common sight, unless you're a government leader or a relative, or an online security tech or well-off student.
North Korean internet infrastructure is also limited. It's reported that there's only a single high-speed cable linking the country to the rest of the world, instead of large collections of cable as seen in other countries.
Wireless technology isn't all that popular, although there is a small mobile network. This means visitors to the country can actually use 3G to get internet access, but citizens aren't allowed. Reports have shown that some citizens illegally get internet access close to the Chinese border, piggybacking onto Chinese networks. This gives them access to an actual, live internet, but only to China's already restricted internet.