Censorship is a part of daily life in China . News articles are erased from online search engines , social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are banned , and CNN is routinely blacked out for Chinese viewers . Instagram was a huge hit in China -- until the government banned it during the Hong Kong protests . `` All good things must end , '' one young Chinese woman told me -- seemingly resigned to the fact that she can no longer post photos on Instagram . While such restrictions would likely incite mass outrage in many Western countries , citizens in China often have no choice but to relinquish some personal freedom as the government keeps a firm grip on certain aspects of life in this booming society . China 's Communist Party will do whatever it takes to stay in power . Censorship is just one tool -- along with quickly quelling civil disobedience . Of course , China feels like a utopia of liberty when compared with the repressive North Korean regime . I distinctly remember feeling a sense of freedom and relief when landing in Beijing after a recent visit to Pyongyang . In the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea , the average citizen has never heard of the Internet or social media . Contact with the outside world is forbidden for all but the most elite members of this reclusive society . Propaganda rules the television airwaves and fills the pages of state-run newspapers . Censorship in China . The Sony hack story has received limited news coverage in China . Stories have appeared on CCTV 's newscasts and in newspapers like China Daily , though with far less prominence than some other international news outlets . In Shenyang on Tuesday , an Internet search for `` North Korea '' on China 's leading ( and government-controlled ) search engine Baidu.com revealed a list of mostly positive articles about the DPRK . A Baidu search for `` North Korea hack '' in English revealed just one nearly two-week-old article naming the DPRK as `` one of several suspects '' in the Sony hacking investigation . An identical search on unrestricted Google on Wednesday found more than 36 million articles . When questioned by foreign reporters on Tuesday , China 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying shied away from directly addressing the issue on the Sony hacking probe . `` We need sufficient evidence before drawing any conclusion , '' she said at a news conference , adding that the United States and North Korea should communicate . Of course , any substantive communication is unlikely given the two countries have no diplomatic ties . The Great Firewall of China . Censorship is the reality of life behind the so-called Great Firewall of China . The Ministry of Public Security has been heavily censoring content for more than a decade . The Chinese government acknowledges that the Internet is a vital tool to support the country 's rapid economic growth . Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba transactions totaled nearly $ 250 million last year , more than Amazon and eBay combined . Alibaba 's overall revenue soared 54 % to over $ 2.7 billion in 2014 . China e-commerce transactions are expected to skyrocket to more than $ 700 billion by 2017 . But with the Internet comes the risk of sharing information that , the Chinese government worries , could destabilize the country . In China , any threat to the Communist Party 's tightly clenched grip must be controlled . It 's why you 're likely to find very little mention of North Korea 's bureau 121 in this nation suspected of having its own shadowy People 's Liberation Army unit 61398 -- believed to be responsible for cyberespionage . Incidentally , the Chinese military has also denounced the United States for having its own massive cyberspying program . As all of this continues to unfold , one thing is certain : International news organizations such as CNN will continue with extensive coverage . And , thanks to heavy-handed government censors , most citizens of China will continue get only the news deemed appropriate by the government .
News on Sony hack is censored in U.S. , with just a few stories that get little play . Government-controlled search engine turns up just more than 36 million article on `` U.S. hack '' North Korea government believes N. Korean hackers are launching attacks from China .