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<h3 style="margin-top:0;"><a style="font-weight: 500; font-size: 21px;line-height: 30px; margin-top:25px; margin-bottom: 10px;" href="http://u.osu.edu/mclc/2017/03/10/official-calls-for-easing-internet-censorship/" target="_blank">Official calls for easing internet censorship</a></h3>
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<p>Source: SCMP (3/3/17)<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/04/chinese-official-slams-internet-censorship">Chinese official calls for easing of internet censorship</a><br />
<em>‘Great Firewall’ that blocks western websites is too restrictive and hinders economic progress while discouraging foreign investors, says Luo Fuhe </em><br />
By Benjamin Haas in Hong Kong</p>
<p>China’s sprawling internet censorship regime is harming the country’s economic and scientific progress, a senior official has said in a rare public rebuke of longstanding Communist party policy.</p>
<p><a class="u-underline" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/internet" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Internet</a> restrictions had also cooled enthusiasm among overseas investors and should be relaxed for politically innocuous content, said Luo Fuhe, vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body to China’s rubber-stamp parliament.</p>
<p>It is a rare criticism of the country’s censorship policies, which have become more severe since Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012.</p>
<p><a class="u-underline" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/china" data-link-name="in body link">China</a> operates one of the world’s most sophisticated and far-reaching internet censorship systems. Known as the Great Firewall, it completely blocks many foreign websites including Google, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.</p>
<p>China was <a class="u-underline" href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2016" data-link-name="in body link">“the worst abuser of internet freedom”</a> in 2016, ranking lower than Syria and Iran, according to a report by Freedom House. Aside from banned websites, censors frequently delete comments deemed politically sensitive from social media, and posts have led to jail time in some cases.</p>
<p>“From within <a class="u-underline" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/china" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" data-component="auto-linked-tag">China</a>, attempting to visit to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization or a lot of foreign university website is very slow,” Luo said. “Opening each page takes at least 10-20 seconds and some foreign university sites need more than half an hour to open.”</p>
<p>Slow internet speeds and the increasing number of banned sites would have a significant impact on China’s economic and social development and scientific research, Luo said.</p>
<p>“Some researches rely on software to climb over the firewall to complete their own research tasks. This is not normal,” Luo added.</p>
<p>Luo, a former scientific development official, said he hoped to work with others to introduce legislation lifting the ban on websites that are not politically sensitive and are necessary for scientific purposes.</p>
<p>His chances would appear to be slim. <a class="u-underline" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/censorship" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Censorship</a> has increased in recent years with China’s leadership advocating for what it calls “internet sovereignty”, a doctrine that encourages nations to aggressively police what is allowed to enter each country over the internet.</p>
<p>China will open the annual session of parliament, the National People’s Congress, on 5 March.</p>
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by <a href="mailto:denton.2@osu.edu">denton.2@osu.edu</a> on March 10, 2017 </div>
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