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From 1994 to the present: How important is the role of the Great Firewall in the development of China's Internet?
Since the official launch of China's Internet in 1994, the development of the Internet in China has been closely linked to the establishment of the Great Firewall. The Great Firewall has not only become a key barrier to Internet access, but has also had a profound impact on China's network environment, economic development, and social culture. Over time, its role in information flow, government control, and economic competition has become increasingly prominent.
“If you open the window, fresh air will come in, but flies will also fly in.” This sentence symbolizes the background of the Great Firewall Project and its reason for existence.
Historically, with the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, China's Internet has gradually become an important channel for external information. However, as the Internet grew, governments realized the need to control it. In 1997, the Chinese government issued the "Internet Usage Management Measures" to regulate individual behavior on the Internet and prohibit activities that endanger national security or spread inappropriate information. Later, with the construction of the Great Firewall, this control behavior was further strengthened.
The main functions of the Great Firewall include intercepting and filtering network data. This means that any network request containing sensitive words will be classified as denied access. In addition, the interception and blocking of this information is not limited to the website level, but also involves the control of applications. Many well-known foreign platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are completely blocked.
“The purpose of implementing the Great Firewall is to protect the domestic market, promote the competitiveness of domestic companies in the Internet economy, and restrict the flow of foreign information.”
Over the past few decades, the Chinese government has improved the implementation of the Great Firewall through constantly updated technical means and strengthened filtering efforts for specific events or topics. For example, during important political events or social movements, restrictions are imposed on sensitive posts on social media, and sometimes platforms, including international companies, are even required to monitor and remove relevant content. For example, during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, reporting and discussion of the events on domestic networks were restricted.
Against such a policy backdrop, China’s Internet ecosystem has been able to develop a particularly rich array of local products, such as WeChat, Baidu, and Alibaba, forming a “parallel universe” that is distinct from the Internet landscape in other parts of the world. Although such an internal ecosystem is rich and diverse, it also deprives users of the right to access external information.
“The Great Firewall not only serves as a tool for information monitoring, but also becomes a barrier to competition between domestic and foreign companies.”
Resistance to this censorship has not disappeared, however. Many users and businesses choose to use tools such as VPN to bypass the Great Firewall and seek a more open information environment. Using VPNs has become a daily routine for many netizens, even though the Chinese government banned unapproved VPN services in 2017. This reflects people's increasingly strong desire and demand for free information.
The role of the Great Firewall is particularly important from both an economic and cultural perspective. It not only reshaped the ecology of China's Internet, but also prompted domestic companies to follow the government's guidance and help them survive in a restrictive environment. In addition, the Great Firewall has also, to a certain extent, caused civil resistance to information blockades and sparked public discussion on free speech and transparent politics.
"Under the high pressure of the Great Firewall, Chinese people's knowledge of the outside world is closed, but this does not mean that they have given up their efforts to seek the truth."
To this day, the Great Firewall still plays a vital role in the development of China's Internet. It is not only a defense against external threats, but also a monitoring mechanism for internal information resources. Looking ahead, with further advances in technology and changes in the global Internet environment, will the role of the Great Firewall change?
