Title: How the “Great Firewall of China” Works to Censor China’s Internet
Headings: How the “Great Firewall of China” Works to Censor China’s Internet
How the “Great Firewall of China” Works to Censor China’s Internet
What Is the Great Firewall of China?
Technical Tricks

Content: If you think the Great Firewall just uses one method of censorship, think again — it uses a variety of tricks. What Is the Great Firewall of China? If you haven’t been keeping track, China has a censored Internet. The Great Firewall of China is generally considered the largest, most extensive, and most advanced Internet censorship regime in the world. China censors content for a variety of reasons, often because it’s critical of the Chinese government or contrary to Communist Party policy. China doesn’t just block individual websites — they use techniques to scan URLs and web page content for blacklisted keywords like “Tiananmen” and block such traffic. By blocking foreign social networking sites like Twitter and forcing their citizens to use alternatives like Sina Weibo, China is able to control social-networking sites, gaining the ability to censor posts on them. China also hires people who are paid to post content favorable to Communist Party policy on the Internet, attempting to sway public opinion. The Great Firewall isn’t perfect — it’s impossible to really hold back information and censor everything, although China is certainly trying. From using unofficial terms that aren’t blocked — effectively speaking in code — to using VPNs to tunnel out of the firewall, even the most extensive Internet censorship regime can be bypassed.