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The Great Firewall of China: Censorship and Ethical Concerns

Explore the Chinese government's initiative to protect its citizens through the Great Firewall of China and the Golden Shield Project. Learn about the blocked sites, VPNs as a workaround, and the ethical concerns surrounding censorship. Discover the potential return of Google to China and the ethical dilemmas it poses. Dive into the ACM code of ethics and the responsibility of technology companies.

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The Great Firewall of China: Censorship and Ethical Concerns

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  1. Great Firewall of China By: Nathan J. Nelson

  2. The Initiative • The Great Firewall of China and the Golden Shield Project are an initiative by the Chinese government to protect its 1.5 billion citizens, 700 million of which are internet users, from the content that is deemed unfavorable by the Chinese government.

  3. The Golden Shield Project • Its purpose is to monitor and control all content originating from inside China’s borders

  4. Great Firewall of China • Its purpose is to protect the Gateways of the country • shutting down all content not explicitly approved by the Chinese government.

  5. List of blocked sites • Facebook • YouTube • Twitch • Reddit • Yahoo Search Engine • WhatsApp • Google Maps • Google • Twitter • Instagram • Pinterest • Tumblr Saporedicina

  6. Restrictions • All of the restrictions placed upon its people are in the name of shielding its citizens from “Western Values” (Ethics In IT).

  7. Is there a way around??? • Virtual Protected Networks (VPNs) • By utilizing a VPN, the user is in essence masking the location of their device, as to not appear inside the boundaries of China. • There is however a caveat to this, these VPNs operate at the will of the Chinese government and may be shut down without notice to the user.

  8. Is there a way around (continued) • Less than 2% of the population of China attempt to bypass the restrictiveness of their government.

  9. Ethical questions • But what are some of the ethical questions that arise from this form of censorship? • The answer lies within the question itself, • the censorship and lack of freedom of expression/speech.

  10. Extended Issues • Google pulled out of China in 2010 after scores of advanced attacks against human rights activists located within China. • However, Google is now looking at returning to China with a compliant search engine that will block all “subversive content”.

  11. Google’s Chief Executive is confident that Google can have a positive impact in country and has pledged transparency in its operations overseas(Washington Post).

  12. Ethical Concerns • But there are serious ethical concerns with Google operating in China. • Is it morally and ethically right, to participate in a market that blatantly restricts the universal human rights of its citizens? • When does the reverence of the Chinese government’s values turn into assisting in the oppression of its people?

  13. Ethical Concerns continued • While Google’s Chief executive feels confident in the return, some of Google’s own employees are at a crossroads with the company.

  14. Many professional coders, analysts, computer science and IT professors are members of an organization called the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). • By joining the ACM, you agree to abide by certain ethical principles and codes of conduct, which if Google operates in a manner consistent to Beijing’s wishes, will most definitely violate almost all of the guiding ACM principles

  15. Take a deep breath, this is going to take a minute……

  16. ACM CODEOF ETHICS • Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all people are stakeholders in computing. • Avoid Harm • Be honest and trustworthy. • Be fair and take action not to discriminate. • Respect the work required to produce new ideas, inventions, creative works, and computing artifacts.

  17. ACM CODEOF ETHICS •  Respect privacy. • Honor confidentiality. • Strive to achieve high quality in both the processes and products of professional work. • Maintain high standards of professional competence, conduct, and ethical practice. • Know and respect existing rules pertaining to professional work

  18. ACM CODEOF ETHICS • Accept and provide appropriate professional review. • Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their impacts, including analysis of possible risks • Perform work only in areas of competence • Foster public awareness and understanding of computing, related technologies, and their consequences. • Access computing and communication resources only when authorized or when compelled by the public good.

  19. ACM CODEOF ETHICS • Ensure that the public good is the central concern during all professional computing work • Articulate, encourage acceptance of, and evaluate fulfillment of social responsibilities by members of the organization or group • Manage personnel and resources to enhance the quality of working life. • Articulate, apply, and support policies and processes that reflect the principles of the Code. • Create opportunities for members of the organization or group to grow as professionals.

  20. ACM CODEOF ETHICS • Use care when modifying or retiring systems • Recognize and take special care of systems that become integrated into the infrastructure of society. • Uphold, promote, and respect the principles of the Code • Treat violations of the Code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM. • https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics

  21. Google employees standing for what is right. • In the past Google employees have; • Drafted letters to the board of directors • Detailed their grievances • Made public their views about current projects

  22. . Google apparently acquiesced to the demands of its professional programmers and canceled project Dragonfly. • However, some within the company have stated there have been changes to the code as late as December of 2018. • Some hypothesize that Sundar Pichai is waiting for the anger to subside and will relaunch the program under a different codename(Verge).

  23. Extended Issues continued • Search engine Baidu reports that their control over results on their platform are even more restrictive than that of their host government’s requirements.

  24. Extended Issues continued • Therefore, when a new regulations takes place, the company doesn’t have to scramble as they are already ahead in the game to restrict material to the Chinese people.

  25. Oppressiveness not exclusive to search engines 2018 2016 Oppression by the Chinese government in regard to e-commerce will hinder innovation, decrease profitability of Chinese companies and foreign companies doing business inside the wall. Apple reported closure of its iTunes site in April of 2016 • Player Unknown Battleground was shutdown • China stated that, “these types of battle royal games deviate from the values of the Chinese people”. • Over 1,000 social media accounts were shutdown and 30 websites.

  26. According to Daniel H. Rosen, "China is strongly disinclined to accept the dominance of foreign players on the Internet, not least those from the United States."

  27. Apple is furthered hindered by their unwillingness to assist the FBI in the unlocking of an iPhone of a terrorist suspect, according to Beijing, any company that does business within China must assist in the “investigation” of terror suspects, or the whim of the state government. In short, if you want to do business in China, you have to play by their restrictive rules and repressive surveillance operations.

  28. Solution? • Lessen the restrictions on internet companies • Allow citizens to search with near unfiltered results • Compromise needs to be reached where the foreign businesses are allowed to operate within in the country • Without compromising ACM’s principles of ethics

  29. Outcomes • China still has one of the most restrictive policies in regard to access to the internet and cybersecurity, behind North Korea which bans internet access to private citizens. Any attempt to circumvent China’s established system results in pages not being found, your IP being logged, and possible tracking of your movements.

  30. Outcomes continued • . If a foreigner makes things difficult for China, accidents have been known to occur. Once such incident revolved around a Chinese American. The individual in question had been helping Chinese citizens access banned parts of the Net and was greeted in his home, in North Carolina by men speaking Chinese and Korean. The invaders ransacked his home, beat him up, and were never caught. While the Chinese government denies any involvement, it is rather coincidental in the eyes of the victim (ABCNEWS).

  31. Great Firewall of China https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWfUOG0EA9w

  32. Bibliography Chinese Censorship, NCSU, 2006, ethics.csc.ncsu.edu/speech/freedom/china/study.php. Flick, Catherine. “Why Google's Censored Search Engine for China Is Such an Ethical Minefield.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 8 Aug. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/china-great-firewall-google-online-internet-censorship-project-dragonfly-a8480016.html. Flick, Catherine. “Google's Censored Chinese Search Engine: a Catalogue of Ethical Violations?” The Conversation, 18 Sept. 2018, theconversation.com/googles-censored-chinese-search-engine-a-catalogue-of-ethical-violations-101046.

  33. Bibliography “Free Speech Vs.” Chinese Opinions on the Firewall, cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/2010-11/FreeExpressionVsSocialCohesion/china_sentiment.html. Perlez, Paul Mozur and Jane. “China Shuts down Apple's ITunes Movies, IBooks Store.” CNBC, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2016, www.cnbc.com/2016/04/22/apple-itunes-movies-ibooks-store-shut-down-in-china.html. Shaban, Hamza. “Facing Backlash, Google Says Plan for a Censored Search Engine in China in 'Early Stages'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Aug. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/08/17/facing-backlash-google-says-plan-censored-search-engine-china-early-stages/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c8e1bf0a0225. “The Code Affirms an Obligation of Computing Professionals to Use Their Skills for the Benefit of Society.” Code of Ethics, Association of Computing Machinery, 2018, www.acm.org/code-of-ethics.

  34. Bibliography Theintercept. “Google Staff Tell Bosses China Censorship Is ‘Moral and Ethical’ Crisis.” The Intercept, 16 Aug. 2018, theintercept.com/2018/08/16/google-china-crisis-staff-dragonfly/. Writer, Staff. “China's Censorship Casts Shadow over Internet Businesses.” Nikkei Asian Review, Nikkei Asian Review, 17 Aug. 2018, asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-trends/China-s-censorship-casts-shadow-over-internet-businesses

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