Will Great Firewall of China crumble during Beijing Olympics?

Davey Winder
Saturday, 21 June 2008 01:00

Business IT - Networking

The idea was that foreign journalists would be free to report without advance permission from provincial authorities, something that previously was required for every interview and report. Journalists could also, supposedly, visit any areas open and so designated by the Chinese government. The Tibet unrest saw dozens of foreign journalists turned away when trying to enter such areas, with local police invoking emergency powers to override reporting regulations.

According to the CJP report, the censorship is both technological and regulatory. The Chinese government demanding ISPs monitor content by filtering searches, blocking websites, checking email and deleting content. The so called Great Firewall of China.

Will this crumble under the pressure of 21,600 accredited journalists, and 10,000 without International Olympic Committee credentials, reporting from Beijing? That is hard to say. For sure the Beijing Olympics will be the most scrutinised games in modern times, quite possibly ever.

After all, the Chinese government has already admitted that it will not be completely unshackling the Internet during the Olympics as many observers expected. It says, instead, that it will attempt to offer as much access to international journalists as possible.

China Technology Minister Wan Gang has said that "China has always been very cautious when it comes to the Internet" adding "I've not got any clear information about which sites will be shut or screened."