ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the Chinese government uses legislation and technologies to sustain its Internet censorship system and examines grassroots responses to the government’s surveillance. China currently operates the world’s most sophisticated censorship system. Studies have argued that the development of the Internet in China has mainly served the government’s purpose of encouraging economic development and strengthening its leadership while overlooking the values of liberal democracy in the media. By analysing Internet regulations and microblogging platform policies, as well as semi-structured interviews with 32 respondents, this study draws on the concept of ‘panopticon’ to scrutinise how the Chinese government uses the censorship system to monitor its citizens’ online behaviour and maintain its power in the digital era. The findings suggest that China’s Internet censorship system cannot be simply described as direct, strict and compelling, because the Chinese authorities have tactically developed approaches that encourage both China’s citizens and Internet service providers’ (ISPs) self-regulation practices. In this process, numerous Chinese Internet users employ direct and/or indirect approaches to confront the government’s censorship system, which indicates the potential for censorship to produce resistance. Overall, this chapter contributes to an understanding of the Internet censorship system and the complex relationships amongst the government, the ISPs and Internet users within China.
