Social Media and Internet Service Censorship by the Chinese Government

America’s basic rights are founded on the principle of freedom of speech. This allows America to thrive off of input, while keeping government power in check. Tools such as impeachment, petitions and protests allow American citizens the power to change their government. However, the country with the largest population in the world, has been restricting speech rights of their citizens since the earliest measures of time. Early emperors burned books and buried scholars to quite literally, bury those philosophical treaties. In today’s era, social media and internet services are censored through, “the Great Firewall” of China. While China has never placed a “freedom of speech” clause in their constitution, there is a growing unrest with citizens on the consequences of vocalizing their opinions. If a Chinese citizen posts a photo of their president in an unflattering manner, they risk spending up to two years in jail for offending the “honor and interest of the state”. Research has speculated on different reasons as to why the censorship is so strict, such as restricting western influence, maximizing ecommerce, or influencing cultural development. This research explores the history of Chinese censorship, current restrictions, why the government is monitoring so closely, and the implications of breaking the censorship laws. POSTER PRESENTATION IGNITE GRANT AWAR