Research Proposal

As for the second half of the semester, we would like to update our blog with a brand new template. First and foremost, our group would like to thank those who dropped few comments on our blog despite they were not many but we appreciate a lot. Also, we hope you guys would enjoy reading our blog.

For week 9, this is our research proposal which is shown below:

Research Topic

Our research topic is about Internet Censorship in China as we find out that this issue is quite interesting and controversial. Actually, this topic is recommended by our very own lecturer of this subject, Mr. Rodney as we were pretty quite clueless and indecisiveness to select topic that we were going to do at the beginning of the semester.

Despite lacked of knowledge on this issue, we decided to take the challenge to explore more about Internet censorship in China. In the meantime, we can learn and understand more about this issue and hopefully, the information that we provided on this blog are useful and detailed to be shared among the students of this subject.

Research Objectives

1. To understand more about the "Great Firewall of China".
   
2. To study the effects of Internet censorship on e-Commerce in China.
   
3. To find out how Chinese cope and overcome this issue.

Outline

1. Introduction
   
   • What is Censorship?
   • Types of Censorship
   • What is Internet Censorship?
   • Internet Censorship in China
   • General Taxonomy of Blocked Sites in China
     
   • Methods of Internet Censorship
     
     
2. Reasons of Internet Censorship in China
   
   • Political Motivation
   • Moral Reasons
   • Commercial Purposes
     
     
3. Effects of Internet Censorship on e-Commerce in China
   
   
4. Recommendations and Solutions
   
   
5. Conclusion
   
   • How Successful of Internet Censorship in China?
     
   
   
6. References
   

Literature Review

Internet is a global market place. The rapid development of the Internet, and especially of Internet-based commerce, has largely taken place outside the standard trade-regulatory frameworks that cover most other forms of cross-border commerce. The size of the Internet markets has grown, and as their contribution to the overall economy has become more pronounced, more attention has been given to regulatory concerns, such as trade-restrictive measures, damaging the climate of trade and investment in the fields of e-Commerce, information-based services and online transmissions.

Since its first Internet connection with the global computer network in 1994, China has witnessed explosive Internet development. By the end of 2008, China replaced the United States as the largest Internet user of the world. Although China enjoyed tremendous economic benefits from Internet development, the Chinese government has tried to maintain tight control over the telecommunications industry and the public Internet use, and fight increasing cyber crimes.

The borderless nature of Internet information is also subject to control of local laws and regulations within boundaries (Goldsmith & Wu, 2006).The problem arises from the simple fact that Internet does not respect national boundaries and online services provided at one point on the globe can, in principle, be assessed at any point. Governments, who prefer that particular pieces of information of services should remain inaccessible from the population, are unable to act outside its jurisdiction using traditional means of enforcement.

China’s Internet use and development did not begin until a decade later after its economic reforms. Its growth has outpaced other countries, and China by 2008 has the largest number of Internet users in the world. What accompanied China’s Internet development is the government’s tight control and regulation over Internet infrastructure, its commercial and social use, and its potential political ramifications. Despite being criticized by human rights groups and activists, China’s Internet censorship system seemingly functions well as the “Great Firewall of China.”

Internet censorship is control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet. Censorship is a controversial issue and the aspect of censorship relevant to international trade law arises from the fact that the vast majority of Internet services are provided as commercial services and any disruption to online services has the direct commercial effect of reducing the revenue if such actors. Moreover, since censors and providers if services are often in different countries, this reduction in revenue is often forced upon a business in one country by the government of another: it has, in short, an international dimension.

Since China’s first global Internet connection in 1994, a mere 15 years has passed. However, China’s Internet development in such a short time has been eye-catching and China has already had the largest Internet users of the world by 2008. The impact of Internet use and development has been enormous and it is evident in almost every aspect of people’s lives in China. Such dramatic changes have left ample room for scholars’ research, potentially covering a broad scope of issues and subjects. Nevertheless, social studies on Internet use and development have been primarily on the implications of the Internet for China’s democratization, and the main concern is therefore state censorship, control, and regulation (Tsui, 2005).

References and Sources

Online Journals

Bin Liang, Long Hu 2010, Internet Development, Censorship, and Cyber Crimes in China, viewed on 20 September 2010.

This journal article mainly focus on the historical development of internet use in China. China’s internet censorship and its regulatory control also discussed in this paper. Besides, this paper also shows how the internet is actively utilized by both government and public to serve political and civic functions. Besides, this paper also discusses cyber crimes as an emergent form of crime in China and examines how the Chinese government reacts to it. Lessons from internet use and regulation in China also discussed within the context of China’s economic, political, and legal conditions.

Lokman Tsui 2005, The sociopolitical Internet in China, viewed on 20 September 2010.

This journal article mainly discussed the internet latest phenomenon in China and caught the attention of media and academic alike. This attention has hitherto been concentrated on the implications of the internet for China’s democratization. This journal article also gives you an idea about the sociopolitical diffusion and development of the internet in China beyond the democratization frame.

Brian Hindley 2009, Protectionism Online: Internet Censorship and International Trade Law, viewed on 20 September 2010.

This journal article suggests that many World Trade Organizations (WTO) members are legally obliged to permit an unrestricted supply of cross border interest services especially China. This journal paper also discusses types of censorship and gives some cases for it. Reason of internet censorship also can be found in this journal article. Lastly, this journal discuss the effect of internet censorship on e-commerce in China.

Kristina Wilson, Yaneli Ramos and Daniel Harvey, 2008, Google in China, vol. 5, no. 22 ,viewed on 10 October 2010.

In this journal, it is about search-engine giant Google struck a deal with the People's Republic of China and launched Google.cn. However, launching Google.cn required Google to operate as an official Internet Service Provider (ISP) in China, a country whose Communist government requires all ISPs to self-censor, removing content that is considered illegal from search results. From a financial perspective, China represented for Google a dynamic and fast-growing, though increasingly competitive, market. Google’s decision to self-censor Google.cn attracted significant ethical criticism at the time. The company’s motto is “Don’t Be Evil,” and prior to entering China, Google had successfully set itself apart from other technology giants, becoming a company trusted by millions of users to protect and store their personal information. The choice to accept self-censorship, and the discussion and debate generated by this choice, forced Google to re-examine itself as a company and forced the international community to reconsider the implications of censorship.

Other Sources

Dr. Tabrez Ahmad 2010, Internet Censorship in China is Politically Motivated and it May Reduce Growth of E-commerce and M-commerce, viewed 10 October 2010,
http://tabrezahmad.technolexindia.com/2010/01/25/internet-censorship-in-china-is-politically-motivated-and-it-may--reduce-growth-of-ecommerce-and-mcommerce.aspx

Hosea Lim 2010, Social Issues and Consequences of the Chinese Internet Censorship, viewed 10 October 2010,
http://ezinearticles.com/?Social-Issues-and-Consequences-of-the-Chinese-Internet-Censorship&id=5126189

Robert Olsen 2010, Chinese Migration to E-Commerce, viewed 10 October 2010,
http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/18/china-internet-commerce-markets-equities-alibaba.html

James Quinn 2010, China blocks Google again, viewed 15 September 2010,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7917829/China-blocks-Google-again.html

BBC NEWS 2002, China blocking Google, viewed 13 September 2010,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2231101.stm

Censorship ,Types of Censorship, viewed 11 September 2010,
http://students.oneonta.edu/pichaw28/types.html

What is Censorship?, viewed 9 September 2010
http://gilc.org/speech/osistudy/censorship/index.html

(Discussion) How Does Internet Censorship Affect e-Commerce in China?

C'mon guys, please drop by to discuss this topic which we are currently doing. As we know, internet censorship in China is not something new anymore. But, how does this internet censorship affect e-Commerce in China? Does it affect the online buying behavior of consumer?

Internet censorship in China is politically motivated and it may reduce growth of e-Commerce and m-Commerce. China has also restricted free access to information that is violation of the basic rights of netizens.

Even the censorship will hamper the growth of e-Commerce & m-Commerce in China itself. Countries that censor news and information must recognize that from an economic standpoint, there is no distinction between censoring political speech and commercial speech.

There is no doubt that if businesses in any country are denied access to either type of information, it will inevitably reduce growth. However, China reiterated that Google and other foreign outfits must obey local law.

As large and diverse internet economy, China can embrace and facilitate a dual process of concurrent development and transformation with very little disruption. In other words China on the other hand can bring changes in its economy and also push for faster advancement in some areas and sectors. Accordingly China’s economy in the recent years despite the Chinese internet censorship has started to develop industries or activities which are broadly defined as components of the new economy of China.

Thus in China, the formation of the new economy has been driven by rapid globalization and the rise of Information technology. Thus this increase in the digitalization of information in the Chinese market highlights the need for reforms in the Chinese censorship. This today China is very much caught up in the relentless globalization of the IT revolution. The markets are dynamic in the new Economy and there is a global scope of competition. There are many networks for organizations that are well established on the internet.

China has a huge competitive advantage as it occupies the top position in terms of innovation, quality, time to market and cost. The organizations give immense importance to research and innovation. There are many alliance and collaborations with other international firms, despite the Chinese censorship.

The business government relations are favorable as the government encourages internal growth and development opportunities. But there are marked tools like the Chinese internet censorship and flexibility is the need for the day moreover there have been rapid developments in the IT infrastructure in China in the recent years and the international firms are unable to tap the huge amount of resources available in China due to the Chinese internet censorship.

Sources:

1. http://bit.ly/a9o2YY
2. http://bit.ly/bFnxlI

Alibaba, Alipay and Taobao

Alipay

China e-Commerce has continuing to growth at a frenetic pace this few years. Chinese consumers are migrating beyond some of the free services offered by the portals such as Sina.com as they increasingly do more of their shopping online.

"E-Commerce exploded in the past few years", said by Ben Cavender of senior analyst with Shanghai-based China Research Group. And he believe to see more growth in the future.

In China, there were a lot of trust issue in regards to fake goods or products that broke easily. Third party payment system named Alipay and the increasing acceptance of credit cards help to solve this issue.

There was a big difference between Alipay and PayPal. The main difference is that Alipay will not release the payments until the buyer actually receive the goods or products. Alipay has now become China biggest online payment company. They are processing more than 1 billion yuan in transaction everyday. It was believe that Alipay will surpass Paypal in the future.

Alibaba and Taobao

Alibaba.com is the world largest B2B trading platform for the small business while Taobao is the biggest internet online retail platform in China. Taobao also offer Alimana (www.alimana.com), an advertising exchange and affiliate network for Chinese publisher, and Koubei.com (www.koubei.com), one of the classified listing platforms in China.

Taobao is an online destination for shopping, socializing and information sharing in China operated by Alibaba Group. Alipay, an escrow-based online payment platform is the preferred payment solution for transaction on Taobao.

Alibaba's online retailer Taobao has benefited from Alipay's success in much the same way ebay did from PayPal. The key difference between the Taobao and eBay is that Taobao relies on those advertising revenue rather than transaction fee like those charged by eBay.

Source: http://bit.ly/8fNoX2

The Great Firewall of China

The People's Republic of China has set up a system of Internet censorship in Mainland China. One part of this system is known outside China as the Great Firewall of China. This system blocks content by preventing IP addresses from being routed through and consists of standard firewall and proxy servers at the internet gateways.

This firewall is largely ineffective at preventing the flow of information and is rather easily circumvented by determined parties by using proxy servers outside the firewall. For a few weeks in year 2002, the Chinese government attempted to block Google, but this block was quickly removed, though some features on Google such as Google Cache remain erratic.

Research into the Chinese internet censorship has shown that blocked websites which include news from many foreign source especially websites which include forums, information about Tibet independence, information about Falun Gong and some websites based in Taiwan.

Although blocking foreign sites has received much attention in the West, this is actually only a part of the Chinese effort to censor the Internet. Much more effective is the ability to censor content providers within China, as the government can physically seize any website and its operators.

Although the government does not have the physical resources to monitor all Internet chat rooms and forums, the threat of being shut down has caused internet content providers to employ internal staff, colloquially known as "big mamas", who stop and remove forum comments which may be politically sensitive.

However, Internet content providers have adopted some counterstrategies. One is to go forth posting political sensitive stories and removing them only when the government complains. In the hours or days in which the story is available online, people read it, and by the time the story is taken down, the information is already public. One notable case in which this occurred was in response to a school explosion in 2001, when local officials tried to suppress the fact the explosion resulted from children illegally producing fireworks. By the time local officials forced the story to be removed from the Internet, the news had already been widely disseminated.

In addition, Internet content providers often replace censored forum comments with white space which allows the reader to know that comments critical of the authorities had been submitted, and often to guess what they must have been.

One controversial issue is whether Western companies should supply equipment to the Chinese government which assists in the blocking of sites. Some argue that it is wrong for companies to profit from censorship, while others argue that equipment being supplied is standard Internet infrastructure equipment and that providing this sort of equipment actually aids the flow of information. Without the equipment, the Chinese government would not develop the Internet at all. A similar dilemma faces Western content providers such as Yahoo! and AOL who must abide by Chinese government wishes, including having internal content monitors, in order to be able to operate within China.

It was common in the past to use Google's cache feature to view blocked websites. However, this feature of Google seems to be under some level of blocking, as access is now erratic and does not work for blocked websites. Currently the block is mostly circumvented by using proxy servers outside the firewall, and is not difficult to carry out for those determined to do so. Some well-known proxy servers have also been blocked.

As Falun Gong websites are generally inaccessible from mainland China, practitioners have launched a company named UltraReach Internet Corp (http://www.ultrareach.com) and developed a software named UltraSurf to enable people in China to access restricted web sites via Internet Explorer without being detected.

Other techniques used include Freenet, a peer-to-peer distributed data store allowing members to anonymously send or retrieve information, and TriangleBoy.

Source(s):

1. http://bit.ly/dboa3X
2. http://bit.ly/af6Ay5
   

Our Research Objectives

Hello guys,

Our group will be focusing on following 3 objectives and they are:

1. To understand more about the "Great Firewall of China".
   
2. To study the effects of internet censorship on e-Commerce in China.
   
3. To find out how Chinese cope and overcome this issue.
   

Thank you.