China Accused of Being Worst Online Censoring Nation

A group that supports online freedom of the press has recently admonished China for being among the worst culprits of systemic online censorship.

The organization, known as Reporters without Borders, has also claimed that of the 61 people currently imprisoned worldwide for "subversive" content, 52 originate from China. (Source: theglobeandmail.com)

Reporters without Borders is an international non-government organization that promotes worldwide freedom of the press and Internet etiquette. China is one of 13 countries singled out by the group following a recent protest against Internet censorship.

Other countries allegedly perpetuating online censorship include Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

China has vehemently denied these allegations, claiming that they should not even be considered among the other offending countries, let alone be leading the list.

According to Chinese officials, their citizens are free to access the Internet as they please, and the remarks that were made against the Chinese government were "groundless." (Source: technology.canoe.ca)

Although it appears that the communist government is willing to promote the idea of Internet use throughout the country, they have also produced an extensive surveillance and filtering system that prevents their citizens from accessing material considered to be obscene or politically subversive. The measures were reportedly put in place to protect the safety of officials and citizens alike.

The Chinese government initially denied that any of its citizens were ever arrested for Internet postings; however, it was later determined that a large number of residents were in fact jailed in recent years for online comments criticizing corruption and calling for democratic reform. (Source: technology.canoe.ca)

Chinese officials have remained steadfast, believing that their management of the Internet complies with all international standards and sanctions.

China currently has the world's second largest population of Internet users after the United States, with more than 123 million people having some form of access to the Internet. (Source: theglobeandmail.com)