ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 adds another perspective to the debates on political and technological influences and the CCP’s attempts to exert efficient control. Predictions about the impact of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology on both commercial computing and the free flow of political information have been breathtaking. Because it allows users to exchange information without a centralized point of contact, P2P technology makes such sharing difficult for authorities to control, be they corporations or governments. While the political stakes of this battle in the affluent democracies of Europe and North America are significant, the consequences are potentially even greater in countries where governments restrict information flow for political reasons. What impact will the P2P phenomenon have on the balance of power between these governments and their citizens? P2P is sure to play a role in the ongoing cat and mouse dynamic between the Chinese government and citizens interested in “subversive” activities. This chapter examines how P2P technology may affect the balance of information control in China. It analyzes how P2P is being used, the methods the Chinese government might use to counter the growing phenomena, and the potential impact of P2P. P2P is a hot topic among tech-savvy Internet users in China. As for average Chinese web users, most of those who are familiar with P2P are undoubtedly more interested in the use of the technology for entertainment than politics. But P2P is also beginning to attract the attention of some netizens whose agendas are considered subversive by Beijing. Some Chinese Internet users are already exchanging documents and accessing blocked websites through P2P networks. If the Chinese authorities were to make a concerted effort to restrict the use of P2P technology, they would probably employ a mixture of high-tech and low-tech countermeasures, as they have against Internet use for subversive purposes generally. In the short term, neither the Internet nor P2P technology will lead to profound shifts in political power. But in the long term, such effects are not difficult to imagine.1
