big mama's field of view - the present and future of internet control in china

8/15/2019 Big Mama's Field of View - the Present and Future of Internet Control in China

1/20

Big Mama's Field of ViewThe Present and Future of

Internet Control in China

Jared Friedman

January 2006

Chinas Two Social Revolutions

TF: Dian Yan


2/20

Abstract

!oth in the "estern news media and in the academic literature there has #een

much de#ate on what e$$ect the $ree in$ormation $low that we associate with the internetwill have on China% and on whether China can e$$ectively censor the internet& This article

reviews aruments that have #een made on #oth sides and considers additional technical

and survey data in an attem't to come to some resolution on the issue& (ovel data oncurrent #loc)in techni*ues is collected usin 'ro+y servers& These novel results show

that sim'le methods o$ evadin internet controls in China e+ist today& , conclude%

however% that unless a cou'le o$ somewhat s'eculative technoloies are develo'ed% Chinashould% iven su$$icient intent and investment in technoloy% #e a#le to nearly eliminate

the amount o$ unwanted in$ormation viewed online&

A Brief History of Internet Filtering in China

Since the very #einnin o$ the availa#ility o$ internet access in China in -../%

the Chinese overnment has attem'ted to control and $ilter internet access& 1,nternet

Filterin in China% 20034 Considerin that China has always e+erted strict controls overavaila#le in$ormation and that the internet is #asically 5ust another source o$ in$ormation%

this is hardly sur'risin& ,n $act% China initially totally re5ected the internet% and onlycame to radually tolerate it when it #ecame clear that one% the internet was here to stay

and there wasnt anythin China could do a#out that ndeshaw% 200/4 and two% that it

seemed 'ossi#le to control the internet much as other $orms o$ communication had #eencontrolled 7utmann% 200024& 8ccordin to 8rticle 3 o$ the -..9 reulations ta)en $rom

Sohmen% 200-4% which 'rovide one o$ the more e+tensive lists o$ outlawed content% the

'rohi#ited content includes all material which is:

i& Su#versive o$ state 'ower or the socialist system

ii& Damain to national unity

iii& ,ncitin discrimination #etween nationalitiesiv& Distur#in to social order

v& ro'aatin $eudal su'erstition

vi& ornora'hy% am#lin or violencevii& ,nsultin or li#elous

viii& ;iolatin the Constitution or other laws

Clearly% this casts a $airly wide net& China has a num#er o$ ways o$ im'lementin these'rohi#itions& The $irst line o$ de$ense has #ecome )nown% somewhat derisively% as the

7reat Firewall o$ China Barm, 1997)& The $irewall wor)s 'rimarily #y havin state

wor)ers scour the internet $or o#5ectiona#le content on servers outsides o$ China and addcertain sites to a country


3/20

e*ui'ment 'rimarily routers% switches% and $i#er o'tic lines4 to connect the networ) in

China to the #roader internet outside o$ China& There are currently only nine o'erators o$

such interconnectin networ)s1,nternet Filterin in China% 20034% o$ which the #iestare China Telecom% China (etcom% China Science and Technoloy (etwor)% and China

=nicom Tan% -...4& 8ll international connections must o throuh these

interconnectin networ)s% and des'ite rumors o$ illicit ca#les runnin $rom >on ?on to7uan@hou7utmann% 20024% secret illeal connections would #e e+tremely di$$icult to

#uild& Thus% the overnments $irewall need #e im'lemented only at the routers o$ those

nine o'erators% which is *uite sim'le to orani@e&

The second line o$ de$ense aainst 'rohi#ited content is monitorin& (o one

)nows the e+tent or architecture o$ the Chinese monitorin a''aratus% #ecause unli)e

$ilterin% which can #e directly o#served% there is no way $or researchers to see what is#ein monitored& 8ccordin to 8mnesty ,nternational% at least 3/ 'eo'le were

im'risoned in 200A $or internet crimes detected throuh Chinas internet monitorin

a''aratus1Controls Tihten% 200/4% and it is li)ely that this sini$icantly understates the

true $iure& There are several 'ossi#le ty'es o$ monitorin& The sim'lest is to $indo#5ectiona#le 'u#lic we#sites or #los run #y 'eo'le in China and trace these #ac) to the

actual individuals& 8ll o$ 8mnesty ,nternationals 3/ 'risoners $or which there wassu$$icient in$ormation a''ear to have #een cauht this way& The more so'histicated ty'e

o$ monitorin is to watch all o$ a users internet #rowsin and email tra$$ic& There is little

dou#t that China has some ca'a#ilities alon these lines% #ut the details are un)nown&

Bonitorin o$ the internet is not use$ul to the Chinese authorities unless they can

connect content they $ind with actual 'eo'le to arrest& 8s late as 2002% there were a#out

200%000 internet Ca$s in China% some o$ which were o'en 2/ hours a day% and whoseclientele consisted almost entirely o$ teenaers and youn adults ndeshaw% 200/4&

Rules su''osedly re*uired clients to reister with the manaers o$ the ca$s and to

'roduce valid ,Ds% #ut such rules were a''arently routinely inored (eumann% 200-4&"ithout a record o$ who was usin what com'uter% illeal content that 'assed throuh

com'uters in ca$s could not #e traced #ac) to anyone& >owever% times have chaned&

The situation was ri'e $or a crac)down% and hel'ed alon #y the convenient e+cuse o$ a$ire in an internet ca$ in !ei5in in June 2002 which re'ortedly )illed 2/ 'eo'le% the

authorities 'laced strict new reulations in 'lace& Thousands o$ ca$s have #een shut

down all over the country 1,nternet Filterin in China% 20034& ,nternet ca$s must now

close #y midniht% restrict access #y minors% and most im'ortantly% must have all 'atronsreister #y ,D on entry and )ee' records o$ who was usin what com'uter $or 60 days&

,t is not easy to use home internet connections anonymously anymore% either& 8-..6 law re*uires all users o$ the internet $rom home to reister with the Binistry o$

u#lic Security within A0 days o$ ma)in a connection& The Beasures $or Banain

,nternet ,n$ormation Services% issued in 2000% re*uires that ,Ss trac) the , addressesassined to their customers and )ee' records o$ all we#sites visited $or 60 days Tsui%

200-4& "ith these records% it should usually #e a sim'le matter $or authorities to trace

detected illeal activity #ac) to an , address% and $rom that to an individual&

A


4/20

8 $inal line o$ de$ense aainst illeal internet activity is to outsource everythin&

,n 2002% all ,Ss in China had to sin a 'lede to wor) com'ly with 1sa$euardin the

in$ormation sa$ety o$ the State% u'holdin the overall interests o$ the industry and theinterests o$ the users% and im'rovin the service *uality o$ the industry ndeshaw%

200/% '& /4& Throuh this and many other reulations% China has #eun to 'ut the

#urden o$ $ilterin and monitorin on the ,Ss& ,Ss are now su''osed to do their ownmonitorin on to' o$ whatever monitorin may #e ha''enin at the #ac)#one level% and

to re'ort sins o$ sus'ected illeal activity& The ,Ss have% o$ course% com'lied to a reat

e+tent& For the rest o$ the 'a'er% however% , will not o$ten consider the distinction#etween #loc)inEmonitorin at the ,S level and the same at the #ac)#one level #ecause

#oth ultimately $ace the same technical challenes&

iterature !e"iew

8 reat deal has #een written on the *uestion o$ what e$$ect the internet will have

on 'olitical o'enness in China% and on whether the Chinese overnment will #e a#le to

success$ully #loc) unwanted 'olitical in$ormation $rom the internet& 8 com'lete reviewis% o$ course% im'ossi#le% #ut here , would li)e to ive 5ust a $lavor $or the diametrically

o''osed o'inions that e+ist even within the academic literature& ,n the late twentiethcentury% the dominant 'oint o$ view seemed to #e that the internet would have vast

trans$ormative e$$ects on authoritarian overnments worldwide& ,n Barch 2000 resident

!ill Clinton said

"e )now how much the internet has chaned 8merica% and we are already

an o'en society& ,maine how much it could chane China& (ow% theres

no *uestion China has #een tryin to crac) down on the internet


5/20

#etween $ilterin and monitorin% a distinction which , #elieve has o$ten #een lost& To #e

clear% $ilterin re$ers to #loc)in we#sites% email% or other electronic communication so

that 'eo'le are technoloically 'revented $rom certain actions& Bonitorin re$ers tosecret detection and recordin o$ illeal activities% which is used either #y ma)in arrests

o$ the 'arties involved or at least issuin stern warnins directly to them&

oo)in at articles written on the su#5ect% it a''ears that it is enerally the case

that articles that $orecast $ree internet in China in the lon run $ocus on the $ilterin and

the ease o$ avoidin it% while articles that $orecast tihtly controlled internet $ocus on the'otential o$ monitorin& This article will not attem't to determine the e+act e+tent to

which this is true #y e+aminin all relevant 'u#lications% #ut it is worthwhile to at least

*uote some e+am'les& ,n 18 Critical 8nalysis o$ ,nternet Filterin olicies in the

eo'les Re'u#lic o$ China% Jason acharite descri#es a num#er o$ antiarvards awrence essi4 com'ares the internet in China to the ano'ticon&

The ano'ticon is an idea $or a 'rison invented #y !entham in which 'rison uards are

a#le to watch the 'risoners at all times% #ut the 'risoners cannot tell i$ they are #ein

watched& ,n this case% !entham arues% it is not necessary to hire enouh 'rison uards towatch every 'risoner all the timeI the mere 'otential o$ #ein watched will #e enouh to

virtually eliminate unwanted activity& essi has arued that e+actly the same 'rinci'le

can #e ado'ted $or the internet& ,$ invisi#le internet 'olice could #e monitorin yourevery online action% then you do not need enouh 'olice to actually monitor everythin

all the time the mere threat o$ an un)nown 'ro#a#ility o$ #ein detected com#ined with

harsh 'enalties on detection will stronly discourae illeal internet activity&

8n im'ortant 'art o$ the aruments o$ acharite 20024% Tan 20004% and others

is a 15ust )ee' tryin 'hiloso'hy: i$ one method o$ accessin restricted content is

#loc)ed% the internet 'rovides so many ways o$ accessin in$ormation that one can 5ust)ee' tryin until one $inds a method that isnt #loc)ed yet& This techni*ue wor)s well in

8merican li#raries% which are re*uired #y law to install commercial $ilterin systems% and

allows technically inclined 8merican teenaers to circumvent school censorin systemswith minimal re'ercussions& ven thouh advocates o$ the e$$icacy o$ internet $ilterin

may arue with this notion Tsui% 200-4 it a''ears to #e #asically correct certainly% it is

still very 'ossi#le to access illeal content in China% as the $indins o$ this 'a'er show&>owever% #y tryin method a$ter method o$ evadin content each o$ which may #e

monitored and recorded a dissident may #e wal)in riht into a tra' and 'rovidin ideal

incriminatin evidence to the authorities&

3


6/20

!esearch on Current Bloc$ing Techni%ues

8s stated 'reviously% it is very di$$icult to detect what monitorin miht #eoccurrin in China% as such in$ormation can only really #e leaned #y attem'tin to

determine how certain arrests were made& >owever% one can determine what is and what

is not #loc)ed in China #y sim'ly com'arin access to certain sites in China with accessin a nonarvard% connected remotely to com'uters in China #oth #y usin 'ro+y

servers and #y dialin into $orein ,Ss& They then attem'ted to access content that they

sus'ected would #e #loc)ed and recorded a lon list o$ #loc)ed and not #loc)ed sites& !ytryin many similar re*uests% they were even a#le to reverse enineer much o$ the

#loc)in a''aratus and to determine how the #loc)in was done technoloically&

They $ound $our methods o$ #loc)in: we# server , address% D(S server ,address% )eyword% and D(S redirection& The most im'ortant o$ these are we# server ,

address and )eyword #loc)in& D(S server , address is di$$icult to distinuish $rom)eyword #loc)inI in $act% , sus'ect on the #asis o$ my own e+'eriments with 'ro+y

servers discussed #elow4 that the authors may have mista)en some D(S server #loc)in

with )eyword #loc)in% or at least did not e+'lain how they distinuished& 8''arently%the earliest #loc)in done was mostly #y server , address& >owever% as delman $ound

in other research delman% 200/4% more than 9M o$ active domain names share their ,

address with other domain names% and there$ore any server , address #loc)in scheme is

#ound to su$$er $rom sini$icant over#loc)in unintentional #loc)in o$ uno#5ectiona#lecontent4% which delman and Kittrain also document&

!einnin in rouhly 200-owever% the Cisco -2000 series and later routers which ma)e u' much o$ the

Chinese #ac)#one% are 'er$ectly ca'a#le o$ doin such =R $ilterin and% crucially% doinit e+tremely $ast% a ca'a#ility which was ostensi#ly #uilt to hel' $ilter internet worms and

viruses& For e+am'le% delman $ound that all =Rs containin the strin 15ianN@emin

anywhere were #loc)ed&

,n Se'tem#er 2002% China cut o$$ access to 7oole% redirectin viewers to stateowever% the study also 'oints

out some $airly a'in holes in the current #loc)in mechanism& 8''arently% sim'ly

insertin an am'ersand into the strin% ma)in the strin 1searchHL*Ocache $ools the$irewall #ut does not #other 7ooles server& 8lso% the Yahoo cache% des'ite #ein

essentially e*uivalent% remained accessi#le at the time o$ the study& , was a#le to con$irm

in my own data collection that the Yahoo cache remains ine+'lica#ly accessi#le&

i)e the !er)man study% the G'en(et ,nitiative study conducted detailed

em'irical wor) to $ind out what sites were and were not #loc)ed in China& , will *uote

the G(, study% as it is the more current& The G(, $ound that #loc)in o$ s'eci$ico#5ectiona#le sites was $airly e+tensive& 2M o$ the to' -00 Jian Kemin sites #ased on

a 7oole search4 were #loc)ed& -00M o$ the to' 9 Falun 7on sites were #loc)ed& .AM

o$ the to' -00 Chinese a#or arty sites were #loc)ed 1,nternet Filterin% 20034& Some

o$ the ones not mar)ed #loc)ed may have 5ust #een inaccessi#le% and some o$ them mayhave #een deemed to #e an a''ro'riate view o$ the su#5ect matter& >owever% the study

also $ound a lare num#er o$ nota#le la'ses in the $irewall& ,t seemed 'articularly #ad at#loc)in 'ornora'hy% $ilterin only -AM o$ sites tested% com'ared to 90owever% in a $ollow


8/20

res'onses to this *uestion 'aint a di$$erent 'icture& 3M o$ interviewees thouht

'ornora'hy should #e controlled% 9AM thouht violence should #e% and 32M thouht

s'am should #e& !ut only M thouht that 'olitics should #e controlled& Clearly% theovernments o'inion is not alined with the 'eo'les on this *uestion&

The Bar)le Foundation study also as)ed the Chinese interviewees what theythouht a#out the 'olitical im'act o$ the internet& /3&-M o$ interviewees 1areed or

1stronly areed that 1usin the internet% 'eo'le can have more 'olitical 'ower

1Surveyin ,nternet =sae% 2003% '& .4& 62&M 1areed or 1stronly areed that1usin the internet% 'eo'le will have #etter )nowlede o$ 'olitics& 8mon internet users%

the 'ercentae was 9.&2M& Com'aratively% less than /0M o$ res'ondents in S'ain and

Sweden areed when as)ed the same *uestion& Finally% 3/&2M o$ interviewees 1areed

or 1stronly areed that 1usin the internet% 'eo'le will have more o''ortunities tocritici@e the overnment& Gnly 20M o$ res'ondents in the =S8 areed to that statement&

Clearly% a lare 'ercentae o$ internet users in China who are the 'eo'le who should

)now still #elieve that the internet will ive them reater access to $reedom o$ 'olitical

e+'ression&

AntiCensorshi( Techni%ues) #(am and *ialu(

Bany techni*ues $or evadin internet $ilterin systems have #een 'ro'osed in the

literature% and many% no dou#t% have #een 'ut into 'ractice& This section will review themost im'ortant anti


9/20

the latest C((,C survey% the averae ratio o$ s'am received to email received was almost

2:- 1-6thStatistical Survey% 20034& 7iven this% it seems virtually certain that i$ Chinese

dissidents a#road could team u' with the cham'ions s'ammers o$ the 1$ree ;iara adsor% 'erha's more 'lausi#ly% ado't their techni*ues4% they could 'ro'aate whatever

newsletters they wanted to the in#o+es o$ most Chinese&

,nevita#ly% however% emailin newsletters is a shar'ly limited tactic& ,t o$$ers only

one


10/20

$or e+am'le% the 'o'ular 'ro+i$y&com& The re*uest is rather li)e the com'uter translation

o$ 1lease send me the data in www&$alunda$a&or& The 'ro+y server $aith$ully

com'lies% accessin the site itsel$ and sendin alon the re*uested data% which is thendis'layed normally& This re*uest is not #loc)ed #ecause it did not o to the #loc)ed

we#site it only went to 'ro+i$y&com% which we are assumin $or the moment is not

#loc)ed& ,Ss internet histories will show only that the user accessed 'ro+i$y&com% not$alunda$a&or&

ro+ies 'rovide a chea'% sim'le% and hihly e$$ective method o$ de$eatin internet$ilters% and it a''ears that their use in China is *uite common& Data $rom a Chinese

8cademy o$ Social Sciences survey showed that -0M o$ internet users admit to reularly

usin 'ro+y servers to de$eat censorshi' "alton% 200-4& in (eumann 200-4 $ound%

more anecdotally% that students in internet ca$s reularly used 'ro+ies to read $oreinnews sites& Bost incredi#ly% (ina >achiian 200-4 $ound that most com'uters in

!ei5in internet ca$s were 'recon$iured to use international 'ro+ies&

ro+ies are certainly the most 'o'ular method o$ circumventin internetcensorshi' in China& (evertheless% they are hardly a $ool'roo$ solution& o)man Tsui

has #een 'articularly critical o$ 'ro+y servers as an anti 'ro+y& The $ormerty'e o$ 'ro+y is connected to #y chanin ones internet settins% usually in a #rowser

control 'anel& Gnce this chane is made% there is no other sin on the users machine that

a 'ro+y is #ein usedI one ty'es the address to connect to in the ordinary =R #o+ o$ the#rowser and the translation to a 'ro+y re*uest is made trans'arently& "ith a C7, or >

'ro+y% #y contrast% a user actually oes to the 'ro+y servers we#site& The we#site is

desined with a control #ar at the to'% as shown in Fiure -&

-0


11/20

Fiure -& Ty'ical desin o$ a C7,E> 'ro+y service&

8s can #e clearly seen $rom the $iure% C7,E> 'ro+y services 'resent an o#vious

#usiness model& The client ets $ree% anonymous% $ireTT #ased 'ro+y service can

ma)e money& "hile they cannot advertise on the >TT service% they can use the'o'ularity o$ the >TT service to 'romote a C7,E> service& They can also o$$er'remium services $or 'ayin mem#ers and use the 'o'ularity o$ the $ree service to

'romote the 'aid service& Tsui also arues that these servers will necessarily #e slowI #ut

a sim'le em'irical test o$ many o$ the most 'o'ular 'ro+ies showed that they were in $actusually very $ast& 7iven that there are hundreds% i$ not thousands% o$ $ree C7,E> 'ro+y

services online% there is little dou#t that this #usiness model is entirely via#le% and it

a''ears to #e ainin in 'o'ularity&

--


12/20

>owever% the ultimate 'ro#lem with 'ro+y servers is that they% 5ust li)e Falun

7on we#sites% can #e #loc)ed #y the censors& 8ll 'ro+y servers need an , address andusually a =R too% and the censors can sim'ly set their routers to #loc) re*uests to these

, addresses and =Rs& The Chinese overnment is certainly not o#livious to this

loo'hole& Since 200-% it has #loc)ed a num#er o$ 'o'ular 'ro+y services% includin thein$amous anonymi@er&com service Tsui% 200-4 1,nternet Filterin% 20034& The most

common way o$ $indin a 'ro+y server is to do a 7oole or similar search $or 1$ree

'ro+y or use one o$ the 'aes )nown to list $ree 'ro+ies% li)e 'ro+y/$ree&com and'ro+y&or& Clearly% internet censors could $ollow e+actly the same techni*ues to $ind

these 'ro+y servers and #loc) them li)e they have #loc)ed other we#sites&

"hile this remains an inevita#le 'ossi#ility% several $actors com'licate the matter$or the authorities& The $irst is that in addition to the 'ro+y servers run intentionally #y

'eo'le either as an act o$ oodwill or $or 'ro$it% there are thousands o$ 'ro+y servers run

unintentionally #y system administrators who incorrectly con$iured their servers and le$t

them o'en as $ree 'ro+ies& There are now a num#er o$ $ree 'rorams which are ca'a#leo$ scannin random , addresses $or such $ree 'ro+ies and re'ortin when ones are

$ound& G$ course% the authorities have the a#ility to run such 'rorams too and to #loc)all $ree 'ro+ies $ound& >owever% any attem't to do this will #e $rustrated #y the $act that

there are thousands o$ such servers which chane much $aster than ordinary dissident

sites& 8lso% many o$ these 'ro+ies also run real we#sites with 'resuma#lyuno#5ectiona#le content% so #loc)in them all could result in ma5or over#loc)inI the

e+tent o$ this over#loc)in is not easy to determine& >owever% i$ the authorities #ecame

more concerned% they could #loc) all we#'aes with =Rs that include the strin

1'ro+y& "hile this would not #loc) 'ro+y servers themselves% it would #loc) anyattem't to use a search enine to $ind 'ro+ies% and it would #loc) almost all 'aes that list

'ro+ies% and it would 'ro#a#ly su$$er $rom very little over#loc)in&

Gne sim'le #ut clever solution to the 'ro#lem o$ havin the authorities #loc)in

'ro+ies is to use certain services that are not advertised as 'ro+ies #ut nevertheless

$unction as such& Gne such creative 'ro'osal% made as a sim'le comment on a we#sitehtt':EEwww&oreillynet&comE'u#EhE/094% is to use the 7oole translation service as a

'ro+y& 7oole o$$ers a $ree online translator which allows you to #rowse $orein

we#sites in your own lanuae automatically translatin all te+t& >owever% it also wor)s

as a sim'le 'ro+y server& The article recommends enterin =Rs in the $ollowin $orm:

http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en|en&u=www.forbiddensite.com

This will show you $or#iddensite&com% #ut to a $irewall% it will a''ear that you are onlyaccessin 7oole& G$ course% the censors could #loc) all access to the 7oole translate

$eatureI however% the $act that 7oole 5ust released the #eta version o$ an astonishinly

accurate Chinese sim'li$ied only% $or now4 to nlish translator-is li)ely to ma)e this a$airly un'o'ular restriction& ,n addition% there are countless we#sites which intentionally

o$$er $ree 'ro+ies% thouh they dont call them that% in order to )ee' visitors on their site&

-This statement is #ased only on 'ersonal e+'erience% and only on the Chinese to nlish translator% which

a''ears to #e very ood& ,t was not 'ossi#le to test the nlish to Chinese translator&

-2


13/20

For e+am'le% when a user o$ howthinswor)&com clic)s a lin) which loo)s li)e it will

ta)e him to a third


14/20

>TTS #rowsin $or $ree this is o$ten a 'aid $or $eature $or 'remium mem#ers4% and an

even smaller 'ercentae o$ 'ro+ies unintentionally le$t o'en will su''ort it&

The $inal word on 'u#lic commercial 'ro+ies is that 'ro+y servers with addresses

distri#uted over 'u#lic internet sites are a more 'ower$ul antiTTS4 'ro+ies that are advertised widely over

the internet can #e #loc)ed& "hile there will 'ro#a#ly always #e unencry'ted 'ro+iesthat are not #loc)ed% the overnment can use =R )eyword and normal #loc)in

techni*ues to #loc) the we#sites which allow ordinary 'eo'le to $ind them& ,nternet

monitorin and 'ac)et


15/20

inaccessi#le& "ith this initial cali#ration over% , was then ready to test the Chinese

$irewall&

!ecause there are several #ac)#one 'roviders in China% each with slihtly

di$$erent #loc)in techni*ues 1,nternet Filterin% 20034 and #ecause the ,Ss now

im'lement their own #loc)in% the accessi#ility o$ various we#sites di$$ers $rom 'oint to'oint in the country& Some studies% li)e the G(, study% have attem'ted to connect to

many di$$erent 'oints at several di$$erent times to determine what is #loc)ed where& Due

to the considera#le resources re*uired to do such e+'eriments well% in this small study ,made no attem't to $ollow this e+am'le& Strictly s'ea)in% the results $or this study a''ly

only in the area o$ the 'ro+y servers tested& >owever% since most o$ the $ilterin in China

is still at the #ac)#one level% and since this $ilterin does not di$$er much $rom 'rovider to

'rovider% it is very li)ely that most o$ the sites that were accessi#le in these e+'erimentsare also accessi#le in most 'laces in China& ,n$ormally% , a''eared to et *uite consistent

results across the 'ro+y servers , tried% which were in dis'arate areas&

>ere is a ta#le o$ the , addresses and corres'ondin whois in$ormation o$ the'rinci'al 'ro+y servers , connected to&

ro+y , 8(,C whois ,n$ormation

2-.&-//&-.6&226 S>88( P, (T B8(87 !=,D,(7

PiQan city% shaan+i

2-&6/&20/&6- C>,(8(T 5ian+i 'rovince networ)

China Telecom

(o&A-%5inron street!ei5in -000A2

2-&36&A2&2A0 China Yinhe securities cor'oration Yantai #ranch(o&99 Jinsan Road%

Jinan%Shandon%

&R&China

=sin these 'ro+ies% , then tried imitatin someone in China who wanted to

access #loc)ed sites& The $irst ste' in such a 'rocess miht #e to access a 'ae containina list o$ $ree 'ro+y servers% so , $irst chec)ed to see i$ these 'aes would #e accessi#le&

To my sur'rise , $ound that they were&

Site tested Result

htt':EEwww&'u#lic'ro+yservers&comE 8ccessi#le

htt':EEwww%'ro+y/$ree&com 8ccessi#lehtt':EEwww&$ree'ro+y&ruE 8ccessi#le

htt':EEwww&'ro+y&orE 8ccessi#le

, then tested some s'eci$ic 'ro+ies% to see i$ one could connect to the 'ro+y& The

#elow results do not include connectin to various $or#idden sites usin the 'ro+y% #utonly connectin to Yahoo usin the 'ro+y&

-3


16/20

Site tested Result

htt':EEwww&anonymi@er&com !loc)ed

htt':EEwww&'ro+i$y&com 8ccessi#le

htt':EEwww&i'@a'&com 8ccessi#le

htt':EEwww&$amous3&net 8ccessi#le

htt':EEwww&'ro+illa&com 8ccessi#lehtt':EEwww&hu5i)o&com 8ccessi#le

htt':EEwww&um@o&com 8ccessi#le

Clearly% the vast ma5ority o$ these were accessi#le& The anonymi@er service wasat one 'oint e+tremely 'o'ular% thouh it a''ears to have #ecome less so% and this was the

only one $ound #loc)ed& ven the now very 'o'ular 'ro+i$y service a''eared to #e

accessi#le& ro+i$y is the only one o$ these to o$$er encry'ted service throuh >TTS% soit is im'ortant to clari$y that #ecause , was not a#le to test the >TTS version o$ 'ro+i$y%

only the reular >TT versionI however% , sus'ect that i$ the >TT version is un#loc)ed

that the >TTS version is un#loc)ed too&

G$ course% 'ro+ies are only use$ul i$ one can access #loc)ed sites with them& ,

there$ore tried accessin several ordinarily #loc)ed sites usin these 'ro+ies& The results

were interestin& For all o$ the > 'ro+ies% or 'ro+ies which encry'ted the =R% all#loc)ed sites were 'er$ectly accessi#le& , had no 'ro#lems #rowsin $alunda$a&or%

htt':EEwww&chinasite&comEdissident&html% and other sites which are amon the most

$or#idden& >owever% $or C7, 'ro+ies which transmit the =R as a 'lainte+t 'arameter%certain sites were not accessi#le& The Falun Da$a site% $alunda$a&or% $or e+am'le% was

consistently inaccessi#le usin such 'ro+ies& ,n the G(, study% they ive a humorous

e+am'le% sayin that Chinese authorities could ive the $ollowin command to one o$their Cisco routers:

Match protocol http url *falun*.

This command #loc)s all we#sites whose =R contains the su#strin 1$alun& The G(,authors were mostly 5o)in% #ut my $indins seem to indicate that 'recisely this command

may have #een iven to the #order routers& G$ course% #loc)in all such addresses casts a

$airly wide net& To see 5ust how wide% , com'osed the $ollowin little 7oole *uery%

which , #elieve should $ind 'recisely the sites which are incorrectly #loc)ed #y thiscommand: inurl:falun -dafa -gong -falundafa -falungong.8ccordin to

7oole% there are a''ro+imately -9%000 such sites& G$ course% iven that in -..6 Khu

Ron5i said with res'ect to #loc)in internet sites% 1!etter to )ill a thousand in error than

to let one sli' throuh% these -9%000 sites 'ro#a#ly dont concern the authorities toomuch& To see i$ the 1$alun =R #loc)in was #ein used% , tested a $ew o$ these sites%

all o$ which contain no content relatin to Falun 7on&

-6


17/20

Site tested Result

www&$alun&seEwwwE$alun&ns$ !loc)ed

www&$alun&ccE !loc)ed

www&to'i+&netEcityE$alunowever% it is im'ossi#le to determine i$ these

un#loc)ed 'ro+y services are closely monitored& "ith only a $ew e+ce'tions%

communication over these 'ro+ies is unencry'ted% and authorities could% in 'rinci'le% #emonitorin and readin every 'ac)et& ,$ the servers are neither #loc)ed nor monitored% it

is li)ely only a matter o$ time #e$ore they will #e& ,s the outcome o$ the de#ate% then% that

#loc)in o$ the internet is entirely 'ossi#le% and that iven su$$icient will and investment%

the Chinese authorities will inevita#ly #e a#le to virtually eliminate unwantedin$ormation $lowH

"ith 5ust a cou'le o$ 'ossi#le e+ce'tions% , #elieve the answer to this *uestion isin the a$$irmative& Gne ma5or e+ce'tion has already #een discussed it is the sendin o$

'olitical newsletters via s'am email& >owever% this is a very limited means o$

communication& ,n my o'inion% the only means o$ evadin the $irewall and monitors toain $ree $ull internet access is the s'eculative idea o$ 'eer


18/20

The 'ro#lem with 'ro+y servers at its core is that once the Chinese overnment

)nows a#out them% it will #loc) the 'ro+y servers% and that i$ the Chinese 'eo'le can $indout a#out 'ro+y servers% then the Chinese authorities can use the same techni*ues%

whatever they are% to $ind out a#out them too& The idea o$ 'eerowever% another 'eerac)tivismo si+E$our 'ro5ect and the 1Cult o$ the Dead Cows 'ea)a#ooty 'ro5ect& !oth

o$ these are small% merely wor)s in 'roress% and in the eyes o$ this author% $airlyunim'ressive& G#viously there is no commercial incentive involved in develo'in such a

'roduct it will only #e done #y 'rorammers with stron #elie$s in internet $reedom and

e+tra time on their hands& ,$ a rou' o$ such 'rorammers can $iure out how to #uild a'eer


19/20

!eferences

8mnesty ,nternational& 200/4& eo'les Re'u#lic o$ China: Controls Tihten as ,nternet

8ctivism 7rows& 8, ,nde+: 8S8 -9E00-E200/& Retrieved January 2006 $rom

htt':EEwe#&amnesty&orEli#raryE,nde+E(78S8-900-200/

Barm, G. R. & Ye, S. (1997) The Great Firewall of China. Wired 5.06. Retrieved

January 2006 from http://www.wired.com/wired/5.06/china_pr.html

Chase, M. S., Mulvenon J. C. (2002). You've Got Dissent! Chinese Dissident Use of

the Internet and Beijings' Counter-Strategies. RAND Corporation.

China Internet Network Information Chinese. (2005, July). 16th Statistical Survey

Report on the Internet Development in China.

Edelman, B. (2004) Web Sites Sharing IP Addresses: Prevalence and Significance.

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Retrieved January 2006 from

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/edelman/ip-sharing/

ndeshaw% 8& 200/4& ,nternet Reulation in China: The (ever


20/20

Bar)le Foundation& 20034& Surveyin ,nternet =sae and ,m'act in Five Chinese

Cities& Retrieved January 2006 $rom www&mar)le&orEdownloada#leassetsE

china$inal--2003&'d$

(eumann% 8& & 200-4 The 7reat Firewall& CJ ress Freedom Re'ort& Retrieved

January 2006 $rom htt':EEwww&c'5&orE!rie$insE200-EChina5an0-E7reatFirewall&'d$

G'en(et ,nitiative& 20034& Internet &iltering in China %''%''*+ ! Country tudy&

Retrieved January 2006 $rom www&o'ennetinitiative&netEstudiesEchinaEG(,ChinaCountryStudy&'d$

an% % & 2003% Decem#er -94& ,nternet a''ears to #e wea)enin China overnmentQs

control o$ news& The Washington #ost.

Sohmen, P. (2001). Taming the Dragon: Chinas Efforts to Regulate the Internet.

Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs. Spring 2001 (1). 17-26.

Tan% K&% Foster% "&% 7oodman% S& -...4& Chinas State

big mama's field of view - the present and future of internet control in china

Documents