Difference between revisions of "Internet Censorship in Hong Kong"
(umbrella movement section and ethical concerns) |
|||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
== Differences with PRC == | == Differences with PRC == | ||
The PRC's censorship campaign has been accused of being an effort to suppress critical opinions against the state. This campaign is not limited by PRC laws which, in effect, allows for more governmental intervention in terms of censorship on the internet. Censorship has many limitations placed on it within Hong Kong due to its Bill of Rights which accentuates the freedoms of its citizens to express themselves without interference and through whichever medium they wish, such as on the internet. | The PRC's censorship campaign has been accused of being an effort to suppress critical opinions against the state. This campaign is not limited by PRC laws which, in effect, allows for more governmental intervention in terms of censorship on the internet. Censorship has many limitations placed on it within Hong Kong due to its Bill of Rights which accentuates the freedoms of its citizens to express themselves without interference and through whichever medium they wish, such as on the internet. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Umbrella Movement === | ||
| + | In 2014, the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement and protests addressed issues concerning a national-security bill that restricted freedom of speech. Due to backing from Beijing, many Hong Kong people turned to the internet to criticize the bill. Thousands of protests, primarily comprised of youth, led to wide international coverage. However, many posts concerning the movement were censored on Weibo, a PRC based application which has many users in Hong Kong.<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/social-media-hong-kong-protests/ Social Media and the Hong Kong Protests] Published 10-01-14</ref> Twitter, however, did not have the same censorship issues. Users were able to bypass this censorship by turning to other applications to help organize for the cause. | ||
== Google's Presence in Hong Kong == | == Google's Presence in Hong Kong == | ||
| Line 20: | Line 23: | ||
Google is one of the first corporations to publicly challenge the People's Republic of China on the issue of internet censorship. In 2010, Google decided to stop censoring its search portal in China, and move its servers to Hong Kong which stirred controversy among the tech community. Only a corporation with the influence of Google, and over 100 million users in China, could put any significant pressure on the Chinese government to reconsider their censorship policies, and it was their intent to do so<ref name="Sheridan"> Sheridan, Michael. “China Faces Internet Showdown; Google’s threat to pull out has brought tensions to boiling point, says Michael Sheridan, Far East Correspondent (Business).” Sunday Times (London, England). 17 January 2010. Newspaper. 30 March 2011: pg. 18. </ref>. While Google originally censored its search results in 2006 when the popular search engine was introduced in China, series of events have forced them to take another look at China's unethical stance on internet censorship. After the Chinese government censored and shut down many of their YouTube and BlogSpot sites, Google engineers discovered unidentified Chinese hackers attempted to gain access to Gmail and read accounts of Chinese dissidents. This was the defining point for Google, and they moved their servers and operations to Hong Kong where they could operate more independently of Chinese government policy<ref name="Sheridan"/>. Clearly, Google sought to maintain users' rights and interests in expressing their opinions, accessibility to information, and communicating with others without government restriction<ref> Mathiesen, K. "Censorship and Access to Expression." in ''Himma and Tavani.'' 2008: pp. 573-588. </ref>. Despite Google’s valiant stand, they still lost a significant amount of revenue in their move from mainland China to Hong Kong, but the advances in popularity of Google in Hong Kong are contributing to a substantial financial recovery. Many analysts claim when Google pulled out of China in 2010 it resulted in losses of over $300 million in revenue, and as many as $600 million in revenue when including losses in the Google [[Android]] phone market<ref name="Sheridan"/>. | Google is one of the first corporations to publicly challenge the People's Republic of China on the issue of internet censorship. In 2010, Google decided to stop censoring its search portal in China, and move its servers to Hong Kong which stirred controversy among the tech community. Only a corporation with the influence of Google, and over 100 million users in China, could put any significant pressure on the Chinese government to reconsider their censorship policies, and it was their intent to do so<ref name="Sheridan"> Sheridan, Michael. “China Faces Internet Showdown; Google’s threat to pull out has brought tensions to boiling point, says Michael Sheridan, Far East Correspondent (Business).” Sunday Times (London, England). 17 January 2010. Newspaper. 30 March 2011: pg. 18. </ref>. While Google originally censored its search results in 2006 when the popular search engine was introduced in China, series of events have forced them to take another look at China's unethical stance on internet censorship. After the Chinese government censored and shut down many of their YouTube and BlogSpot sites, Google engineers discovered unidentified Chinese hackers attempted to gain access to Gmail and read accounts of Chinese dissidents. This was the defining point for Google, and they moved their servers and operations to Hong Kong where they could operate more independently of Chinese government policy<ref name="Sheridan"/>. Clearly, Google sought to maintain users' rights and interests in expressing their opinions, accessibility to information, and communicating with others without government restriction<ref> Mathiesen, K. "Censorship and Access to Expression." in ''Himma and Tavani.'' 2008: pp. 573-588. </ref>. Despite Google’s valiant stand, they still lost a significant amount of revenue in their move from mainland China to Hong Kong, but the advances in popularity of Google in Hong Kong are contributing to a substantial financial recovery. Many analysts claim when Google pulled out of China in 2010 it resulted in losses of over $300 million in revenue, and as many as $600 million in revenue when including losses in the Google [[Android]] phone market<ref name="Sheridan"/>. | ||
| + | == Ethical Concerns and Issues == | ||
| + | Due to Hong Kong's conflicting policies from the PRC and their own protected freedoms, this becomes an area with many concerns. Many individuals and businesses feel the need to self sensor in order to maintain a positive relationship with Mainland China companies. As a result, their images and online practices follow the stricter laws outlined by Mainland China in order to maintain a better relationship. In addition, press freedom has significantly declined over the past five years, reflecting this shift in China's economic growth and development. <ref>[https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2015/hong-kong FREEDOM OF THE PRESS] Retrieved 04-24-16 </ref> Many news outlets have suffered cyberattacks due their anti-Mainland content. | ||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
*[[Censorship]] | *[[Censorship]] | ||
Revision as of 01:48, 25 April 2016
Internet Censorship in Hong Kong pertains to the legality involved in the restriction of content on the internet in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, despite being a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, maintains its own bill of rights which protects freedom of expression in such a way that limits governmental powers of censorship.
Contents
Background
Hong Kong Bill of Rights
Article 16 in Part 2 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights states[1]:
- Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.
This "right to freedom of expression" allows for more leniency with censorship on the internet in relation to other countries that do not stress such freedoms within their governmental charters.
Censored Material
It is illegal to post obscene materials into public forums, such as the internet, under Hong Kong law. For this reason, internet pornography distribution is penalized under law and can be censored by the Hong Kong authorities. This is an object of controversy though, since it is in direct conflict with the Hong Kong Bill of Rights which explicitly emphasizes the "freedom of expression without interference." Internet pornography is considered by some as a form of expression that should be protected under this freedom.
Differences with PRC
The PRC's censorship campaign has been accused of being an effort to suppress critical opinions against the state. This campaign is not limited by PRC laws which, in effect, allows for more governmental intervention in terms of censorship on the internet. Censorship has many limitations placed on it within Hong Kong due to its Bill of Rights which accentuates the freedoms of its citizens to express themselves without interference and through whichever medium they wish, such as on the internet.
Umbrella Movement
In 2014, the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement and protests addressed issues concerning a national-security bill that restricted freedom of speech. Due to backing from Beijing, many Hong Kong people turned to the internet to criticize the bill. Thousands of protests, primarily comprised of youth, led to wide international coverage. However, many posts concerning the movement were censored on Weibo, a PRC based application which has many users in Hong Kong.[2] Twitter, however, did not have the same censorship issues. Users were able to bypass this censorship by turning to other applications to help organize for the cause.
Google's Presence in Hong Kong
Google is one of the first corporations to publicly challenge the People's Republic of China on the issue of internet censorship. In 2010, Google decided to stop censoring its search portal in China, and move its servers to Hong Kong which stirred controversy among the tech community. Only a corporation with the influence of Google, and over 100 million users in China, could put any significant pressure on the Chinese government to reconsider their censorship policies, and it was their intent to do so[3]. While Google originally censored its search results in 2006 when the popular search engine was introduced in China, series of events have forced them to take another look at China's unethical stance on internet censorship. After the Chinese government censored and shut down many of their YouTube and BlogSpot sites, Google engineers discovered unidentified Chinese hackers attempted to gain access to Gmail and read accounts of Chinese dissidents. This was the defining point for Google, and they moved their servers and operations to Hong Kong where they could operate more independently of Chinese government policy[3]. Clearly, Google sought to maintain users' rights and interests in expressing their opinions, accessibility to information, and communicating with others without government restriction[4]. Despite Google’s valiant stand, they still lost a significant amount of revenue in their move from mainland China to Hong Kong, but the advances in popularity of Google in Hong Kong are contributing to a substantial financial recovery. Many analysts claim when Google pulled out of China in 2010 it resulted in losses of over $300 million in revenue, and as many as $600 million in revenue when including losses in the Google Android phone market[3].
Ethical Concerns and Issues
Due to Hong Kong's conflicting policies from the PRC and their own protected freedoms, this becomes an area with many concerns. Many individuals and businesses feel the need to self sensor in order to maintain a positive relationship with Mainland China companies. As a result, their images and online practices follow the stricter laws outlined by Mainland China in order to maintain a better relationship. In addition, press freedom has significantly declined over the past five years, reflecting this shift in China's economic growth and development. [5] Many news outlets have suffered cyberattacks due their anti-Mainland content.
See Also
References
- ↑ Hong Kong Bill of Rights
- ↑ Social Media and the Hong Kong Protests Published 10-01-14
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sheridan, Michael. “China Faces Internet Showdown; Google’s threat to pull out has brought tensions to boiling point, says Michael Sheridan, Far East Correspondent (Business).” Sunday Times (London, England). 17 January 2010. Newspaper. 30 March 2011: pg. 18.
- ↑ Mathiesen, K. "Censorship and Access to Expression." in Himma and Tavani. 2008: pp. 573-588.
- ↑ FREEDOM OF THE PRESS Retrieved 04-24-16
