Scrapbook 7 - CST 373

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-07-11/china-may-be-raising-the-great-firewall-too-high

Summary:
While China is known for restricting its citizens’ access to certain information and opinions, it has historically turned a blind-eye to the use of VPNs to bypass their famous “great firewall”. In the past, this ignoring of Chinese people bypassing their restrictions was justified by the thought that only affluent and productive individuals would need use of the VPNs in order to access scientific information, news, or other knowledge inaccessible through the country’s internet infrastructure. However, China has recently decided that they will be shutting down VPNs across the country, thereby destroying one of the most popular ways to bypass the screen of state censorship.

The reason this article was chosen:
While China did blockade most of its users from utilizing much of the world-wide web, there were ways to work around the shutdown and access outside information that was not state-sanctioned.

Credibility of sources:
Bloomberg is a well known and respected media outlet regarding finances, news, and technology.

Ethical implications:
This increase in the amount of censorship that will be established over China will greatly affect the amount of information and opinion available to its people. While the middle and upper classes used to be able to access necessary information through bypassing the “great firewall”, now Chinese citizens may be even more cut-off from the rest of the world and unable to learn or broadcast dissident thought and feelings.