The Foreign Service Journal, September 2007

Cybercafés are supposed to require a photo ID for computer use and monitor users in real time to shut down computers being used to view inappropriate sites. After demon- strations or other disturbances the police will often raid local establish- ments. Internet service providers are similarly required to keep records of who is online when, and where they visited. Unlike many other countries that limit Web access, censorship of the Internet in the PRC is mostly limited to political subjects. Searching the Chinese versions of Google or Yahoo, for example, does not bring up anything about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, the Falun Gong or other subjects the PRC has deemed harmful to its “harmonious society.” The PRC also tries to limit access to foreign news and information. The English version of Wikipedia was blocked for a year, and the Chinese- language Wikipedia is still banned. The BBC Web site has been inac- cessible for several years, and during times of crisis the government has been known to temporarily block access to the New York Times and Washington Post. Both Google and Yahoo have been criticized in the U.S. for profiting from censorship that includes restrictions on freedom of speech and press; Reporters Without Borders, which calls China the “world’s biggest prison for cyber-dissidents,” argues that if companies stopped aiding the PRC’s censorship efforts, the government would be forced to change. President Hu Jintao recently declared that the modernization of China’s political structure must not jeopardize the one-party system. The government clearly views Internet censorship as critical to ensuring its continued reign. But given the in- herent openness of the Web, this may be difficult to maintain in the long run. Useful sources on Internet cen- sorship include the OpenNet Initia- tive ( http://opennet.net ) , Amnesty International’s campaign ( http://Irre pressible.info ) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s reports ( http: // www.eff.org/ ). — Anna Wong Gleysteen, Editorial Intern S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 13 C Y B E R N O T E S Site of the Month: www.fedstats.gov Want to know the average price of electricity in the U.S.? How many metric tons of carbon dioxide the U.S. released in 2005? Or maybe you’re curious about the number of birds that have been banded in North America, or the daily snow depth in Wyoming. The answers to all these questions — and many, many more — can be found on FedStats , a Web site that helps people access the full range of statistical data compiled by the federal government. More than 100 agencies are linked on the site, which is maintained by the federal government. Links to the relevant agencies’ Web pages are arranged by program and subject area as well as by topic, so visitors don’t need to know in advance which agency provides the data they are looking for. FedStats , now in its tenth year, also has a comprehensive search feature that draws on the databases of many U.S. agencies. — Anna Wong Gleysteen, Editorial Intern