It’s effectively an IP/domain/protocol blacklist. So if you break the rules for example by refusing to host Chinese user data on servers in China as is required by law you get out on the list and your site is blocked. Other things blocked are domains commonly used for spam e.g. .ml is blocked by the firewall as it was a free domain commonly used for spam. So I’m using a VPN as all .ml sites are blocked (as far as I’m aware, there might be some who petitioned their way off but I don’t know)
On why it was put in place:
The firewall was created to foster and protect China’s fledgling digital infrastructure and data sovereignty. Many countries regulate foreign platforms and data flows. China built its own ecosystem instead of depending on foreign companies. We have seen what happens when foreign platforms operate without local oversight: Facebook facilitating genocide in Myanmar, coordinated anti-vax disinformation campaigns in Southeast Asia, algorithm-driven radicalization, etc. The firewall makes those kinds of external influence operations harder or close to impossible to run at scale.
Does it also keep information from China getting to other places? Or is that more of the corpos and other countries keeping China’s news and what not out of Western spaces? I find it very hard to find things out of rare cases like when I was on Red Note for a bit. I wasn’t sure if the firewall had anything to do with that or if its more western influences, or a bit of both?
No the firewall is one-way generally speaking. The fact foreign news agencys need a license to report in China probably doesn’t help but it is almost entirely down to the fact that corpos and the countries they own don’t actually want to report factual information about China and much prefer NED funded NGOs and but at what cost speculation about whatever China announces.
On how it works:
It’s effectively an IP/domain/protocol blacklist. So if you break the rules for example by refusing to host Chinese user data on servers in China as is required by law you get out on the list and your site is blocked. Other things blocked are domains commonly used for spam e.g. .ml is blocked by the firewall as it was a free domain commonly used for spam. So I’m using a VPN as all .ml sites are blocked (as far as I’m aware, there might be some who petitioned their way off but I don’t know)
On why it was put in place:
The firewall was created to foster and protect China’s fledgling digital infrastructure and data sovereignty. Many countries regulate foreign platforms and data flows. China built its own ecosystem instead of depending on foreign companies. We have seen what happens when foreign platforms operate without local oversight: Facebook facilitating genocide in Myanmar, coordinated anti-vax disinformation campaigns in Southeast Asia, algorithm-driven radicalization, etc. The firewall makes those kinds of external influence operations harder or close to impossible to run at scale.
Thank you for the explanation!
Does it also keep information from China getting to other places? Or is that more of the corpos and other countries keeping China’s news and what not out of Western spaces? I find it very hard to find things out of rare cases like when I was on Red Note for a bit. I wasn’t sure if the firewall had anything to do with that or if its more western influences, or a bit of both?
No the firewall is one-way generally speaking. The fact foreign news agencys need a license to report in China probably doesn’t help but it is almost entirely down to the fact that corpos and the countries they own don’t actually want to report factual information about China and much prefer NED funded NGOs and but at what cost speculation about whatever China announces.
Ah okay. Thank you so much for the information! I really appreciate it!