Same Game New Name...

“Throughout this history of mankind. power holders have been keen on having control over the content and distribution of public information in a society. Authoritarian and totalitarian regimes of the 20th century have created the most complicated and all-embracing machine series of manipulation information and public opinion by using mass media and censorship.”

Epp Lauk

The censorship of the former Soviet Union shocked the West. Freedom of speech, the press and expression encapsulate the American ideal. Now with the advent of China as a superpower the totalitarian regime created the "Great Firewall" and is reminiscent of the days of the Iron Curtin.

In 1949, Radio Free Europe became part of the CIA until it's conversion to a government funded non-profit organization in 1971, thank you Nixon. RFE used radio waves to communicate “democratic values and institutions by disseminating factual information” to countries and government where news outlets serve as propaganda machines. The guiding premise of “the first requirement of democracy is a well informed citizenry” drives the organization to continue.

RFE/RL’s influence on the former USSR as well as other Warsaw Pact countries goes unquestioned. Polish leader Lech Walsea said its role was comparable to the one the sun plays to the earth.

Obviously, the complexity of the internet makes parallels to this post-war era difficult or does it?

The USSR enforced strict censorship laws from 1917 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The government created a division focused solely on issues of censorship called the Main Administration for Safeguarding State Secrets in the Press. The specifications and legal jargon within this organization appears to be vague and specifically coded for certain individuals.

Conversely, The “People’s” Republic of China almost plagiarized their State Secret Laws from the model provided by it’s mentor to the North.

The USSR recruited 30,000 individuals to censor materials. Current estimations claim China employs

Net Neutrality represents a Western value. Tim Berners-Less, who’s credited as the creator of the world wide web said, “The neutral communications medium is essential to our society. It is the basis of a fair competitive market economy. It is the basis of democracy, by which a community should decide what to do. It is the basis of science, by which humankind should decide what is true. Let us protect the neutrality of the net." I couldn’t agree with you more, Tim. Although it’s my belief that there should be protections in place to filter inappropriate content to our children.

The Chinese government remains fixed in their response citing their constitution

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games provide China and others living under the oppressive reign of communism a global platform condemning the unjust treatment they face. The Chinese government has lifted some of their journalistic bans around the country in preparation for the Games. However, many wonder with the influx of international journalist and travelers, if the temporary information technology ability adversely effect the Chinese people?

The issues addressed lead to the question, will the Beijing games serve as a similar catalyst which propelled President Reagan to demand, "Mr. Gorbachov, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!!!"