Breaching the Great Firewall

Along with the rapid diffusion of Internet connectivity in China, many commentators, politicians, and pundits have speculated about the potential of the Internet to facilitate political change and undermine the dominance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but the CCP regime has managed to stifle most attempts to use the Internet to promote political change. The centerpiece of its strategy for limiting what it perceives as the adverse consequences of the spread of the Internet has been the construction of a system of high-tech Internet controls, which have been dubbed the “Great Firewall.” Although it remains far from impenetrable, the Great Firewall has become increasingly technologically advanced and effective. Various parties outside of China have responded by developing technologies designed to circumvent these controls. For those trying to use technology to foster change in China, however, it is not simply a question of outsmarting the censors, but also one of dealing with more fundamental obstacles to finding a workable model for using the Internet to disseminate information and facilitate change.