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Citizen Journalists in China
Full Episode: youtu.be When you hear "journalist in China," what do you think of? A reporter for state-run media? Someone who works for a major international news organization? Or a citizen journalist trying to skirt censorship? If you #39;re the latter type of journalist, you face more than just censorship. You could face long prison terms and even torture. Especially if you breach a politically sensitive topic at a politically sensitive time. That #39;s what happened to self-taught Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, who was recently given an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. We sit down with Madeline Earp, senior Asia researcher for CPJ, to talk about his case, and what it #39;s like for citizen journalists in China today.From:NTDTVViews:7 1ratingsTime:00:20More inNews Politics

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Citizen Journalists in China - Video

China's well-known for its long and illustrious history of censoring the web. But rather than just blocking sites, it's now employing some rather strange techniqueswhich means the online home of a small pet spa in Miami is receiving an insane number of hits every day.

New Scientist has taken a peek inside the sinister world of Chinese web censoring, and it makes for fascinating reading. Richard Fisher explains that, far from simply blocking websites, Chinese authorities are employing all kinds of techniques to prevent their population from seeing the real web.

Often that involves subtle tricks, like giving the appearance of a slow internet connection. But sometimes the country uses DNS poisoning, which employs cheeky redirection to throw up a website that wasn't requested. In particular, a Miami pet spa, known as The Pet Club, is one of the chosen sites. New Scientist explains:

[W]hen people in China try to access torproject.org a tool that prevents online tracking they instead often get the IP address of thepetclubfl.net...

No one knows why the censors picked The Pet Club's website. Until now, Dennis Bost of Universal Merchant Solutions in Hollywood, Florida, who set up the website for the salon owners, had been puzzled by the web traffic he'd been seeing. "I'm amazed at the number of hits they get from China," he says. "They're a grooming salon. No one is popping over from Beijing to have their Shar Pei groomed."

Sounds likes a good idea, if you're a Chinese official hell-bent on censoring the web without generating too much suspicion. Or at least, it used to seem like a good idea: let's hope, for the sake of China's online community, that Gizmodo and New Scientist aren't routed to The Pet Club, too. [New Scientist]

Image by Shutterstock / Andersphoto

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How China's Web Censorship Is Driving Traffic to a Miami Pet Spa Website

Index on Censorship opposes recommendations for the statutory underpinning of press regulation

Index urges that there is a serious, considered debate about Lord Justice Levesons recommendations. The free speech organisation opposes the statutory underpinning of press regulation proposed by Lord Justice Leveson.

Kirsty Hughes, Chief Executive of Index on Censorship said:

We consider that the statutory-voluntary approach to independent press regulation would undermine press freedom in the UK. However, we support the proposal for cheap, effective arbitration, which would help victims get swift redress to their complaints.

Index welcomed the response of the Prime Minister to the Inquirys findings. In a statement to parliament, David Cameron said that he had serious concerns about passing legislation in relation to the press, which he rightly said would be an enormous step.

Kirsty Hughes said: We share David Camerons concerns that statutory underpinning would undermine free speech, and could be the start of a slippery slope of government interference in the media.

Indexs response to Lord Justice Levesons main recommendations are:

Statutory underpinning of an independent regulatory body: Statutory underpinning of an independent and voluntary regulator is a contradiction in terms. Any law which sets out the criteria that the press must meet, by definition introduces some government or political control of the media. Politicians of all hues have an interest in getting the most positive media coverage they can. Keeping print media independent of government so journalists can report on political debate and decision-making, robustly and without fear, is fundamental. Even light statutory regulation could easily be revisited, toughened and potentially abused once the principle of no government control of the press is breached.

Arbitration service: Index welcomes Lord Justice Levesons proposal for cheap, effective arbitration.

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Index on Censorship’s response to the Leveson report

BRITISH Justice Brian Leveson's landmark report has recognised that the online social media world remains beyond regulation.

While the growth of blogs was "little short of phenomenal", he acknowledged such websites were "entirely unregulated" and this situation was unlikely to change.

"Despite the efforts made to comply with national law, it is clear that the enforcement of law and regulation online is problematic," he said.

More than 20 pages of his report focused on alternative news providers - including Twitter - which, Leveson said, had "completely revolutionised" the market in which newspapers operate and are not part of a regulatory regime.

While certain social media sites co-operate with UK law enforcement in cases of obvious criminality, he said control which "might have been possible in an earlier age" can now be "defeated instantly on Twitter or any one of many other social media sites, based out of the UK and not answerable to its laws".

He wrote: "Certainly, the very nature of the internet does not lend itself to regulation.

"It is a global network made up of a very large number of interconnected, largely autonomous networks, operating from many different legal jurisdictions without any obvious central governing body."

But he insisted there was scope for websites to co-operate with UK law enforcement in "cases of obvious criminality".

He wrote: "During the rioting in the summer of 2011, both RIM Blackberry and Twitter worked closely with police and other enforcement agencies to identify those using social media and communications networks to perpetrate or help commit criminal acts.

"In 2011, Lancashire County Council also worked with Twitter to identify and bring prosecutions against individuals suspected of tax avoidance."

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Social media control problematic: Leveson

Lord Justice Leveson's landmark report has recognised that the online social media world remains beyond regulation.

While the growth of blogs was "little short of phenomenal", he acknowledged such websites were "entirely unregulated" and this situation was unlikely to change.

"Despite the efforts made to comply with national law, it is clear that the enforcement of law and regulation online is problematic," he said.

More than 20 pages of his report focused on alternative news providers - including Twitter - which, Lord Justice Leveson said, had "completely revolutionised" the market in which newspapers operate and are not part of a regulatory regime.

While certain social media sites co-operate with UK law enforcement in cases of obvious criminality, he said control which "might have been possible in an earlier age" can now be "defeated instantly on Twitter or any one of many other social media sites, based out of the UK and not answerable to its laws".

He wrote: "Certainly, the very nature of the internet does not lend itself to regulation.

"It is a global network made up of a very large number of interconnected, largely autonomous networks, operating from many different legal jurisdictions without any obvious central governing body."

But he insisted there was scope for websites to co-operate with UK law enforcement in "cases of obvious criminality".

He wrote: "During the rioting in the summer of 2011, both RIM Blackberry and Twitter worked closely with police and other enforcement agencies to identify those using social media and communications networks to perpetrate or help commit criminal acts.

"In 2011, Lancashire County Council also worked with Twitter to identify and bring prosecutions against individuals suspected of tax avoidance."

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Social media control 'problematic'