Editing Great Firewall (section)

{{Short description|Chinese internet regulations}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}{{Politics of China|expanded=Publicity}}
The '''Great Firewall''' ('''GFW'''; {{zh|s=防火长城|t=防火長城|p=Fánghuǒ Chángchéng}}) is the combination of legislative actions and technologies enforced by the [[China|People's Republic of China]] to regulate the [[Internet]] domestically.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Clayton |first1=Richard |last2=Murdoch |first2=Steven J. |last3=Watson |first3=Robert N. M. |title=Ignoring the great firewall of china |journal=International Workshop on Privacy Enhancing Technologies}}</ref> Its role in [[internet censorship in China]] is to block access to selected foreign websites and to slow down cross-border internet traffic.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mozur|first1=Paul|title=Baidu and CloudFlare Boost Users Over China's Great Firewall|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/business/partnership-boosts-users-over-chinas-great-firewall.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=13 September 2015|language=en|access-date=16 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124123846/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/business/partnership-boosts-users-over-chinas-great-firewall.html|archive-date=24 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The Great Firewall operates by checking [[transmission control protocol]] (TCP) packets for keywords or sensitive words. If the keywords or sensitive words appear in the TCP packets, access will be closed. If one link is closed, more links from the same machine will be blocked by the Great Firewall.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Clayton |first1=Richard |last2=Murdoch |first2=Steven J. |last3=Watson |first3=Robert N. M. |date=2006 |editor-last=Danezis |editor-first=George |editor2-last=Golle |editor2-first=Philippe |chapter=Ignoring the Great Firewall of China |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/11957454_2 |title=Privacy Enhancing Technologies |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |volume=4258 |language=en |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |pages=20–35 |doi=10.1007/11957454_2 |isbn=978-3-540-68793-1|hdl=1811/72793 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The effect includes: limiting access to foreign information sources, blocking popular foreign websites (e.g. [[Google Search]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.greatfire.org/google.com|title=google.com is blocked in China {{!}} GreatFire Analyzer|website=en.greatfire.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805232352/https://en.greatfire.org/google.com|archive-date=2014-08-05|access-date=2020-01-18}}</ref> [[Facebook]],<ref>{{cite web |title=How China's social media users created a new language to beat censorship on COVID-19 |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/03/china-social-media-language-government-censorship-covid/ |website=[[Amnesty International]] |access-date=3 April 2020 |language=en |date=6 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403023740/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/03/china-social-media-language-government-censorship-covid/ |archive-date=3 April 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Twitter]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/07/AR2009070701162.html|title=China Blocks Access To Twitter, Facebook After Riots|newspaper=Washington Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919204716/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/07/AR2009070701162.html|archive-date=19 September 2010|access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref> [[Wikipedia]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/4/9260981/jimmy-wales-wikipedia-china|title=Wikipedia founder defends decision to encrypt the site in China|date=4 September 2015|publisher=[[The Verge]]|access-date=17 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141751/https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/4/9260981/jimmy-wales-wikipedia-china|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinas-government-has-blocked-wikipedia-its-entirety-again-1532138|title=China's government has blocked Wikipedia in its entirety again|last=Skipper|first=Ben|date=7 December 2015|work=[[International Business Times]] UK|access-date=2 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503111142/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinas-government-has-blocked-wikipedia-its-entirety-again-1532138|archive-date=3 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and others) and mobile apps, and requiring foreign companies to adapt to domestic regulations.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mozur|first1=Paul|last2=Goel|first2=Vindu|title=To Reach China, LinkedIn Plays by Local Rules|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/technology/to-reach-china-linkedin-plays-by-local-rules.html?mcubz=0|work=The New York Times|date=5 October 2014|access-date=4 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613111912/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/technology/to-reach-china-linkedin-plays-by-local-rules.html?mcubz=0|archive-date=13 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Branigan|first1=Tania|title=New York Times launches website in Chinese language|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/28/new-york-times-launches-chinese-website|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=28 June 2012|access-date=4 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904154029/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/28/new-york-times-launches-chinese-website|archive-date=4 September 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Besides censorship, the Great Firewall has also influenced the development of China's internal internet economy by giving preference to domestic companies<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news|last1=Denyer|first1=Simon|title=China's scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-scary-lesson-to-the-world-censoring-the-internet-works/2016/05/23/413afe78-fff3-11e5-8bb1-f124a43f84dc_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=5 September 2017|date=23 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206113628/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinas-scary-lesson-to-the-world-censoring-the-internet-works/2016/05/23/413afe78-fff3-11e5-8bb1-f124a43f84dc_story.html|archive-date=6 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and reducing the effectiveness of products from foreign internet companies.<ref name="WaPo2017">{{cite news|last1=Rauhala|first1=Emily|date=19 July 2016|title=America wants to believe China can't innovate. Tech tells a different story.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/america-wants-to-believe-china-cant-innovate-tech-tells-a-different-story/2016/07/19/c17cbea9-6ee6-479c-81fa-54051df598c5_story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903210759/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/america-wants-to-believe-china-cant-innovate-tech-tells-a-different-story/2016/07/19/c17cbea9-6ee6-479c-81fa-54051df598c5_story.html|archive-date=3 September 2017|access-date=5 September 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The techniques deployed by the Chinese government to maintain control of the Great Firewall can include modifying search results for terms, such as they did following [[Ai Weiwei]]’s arrest, and petitioning global conglomerates to remove content, as happened when they petitioned [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] to remove the [[Quartz (publication)|''Quartz'']] business news publication’s app from its Chinese App Store after reporting on the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://9to5mac.com/2019/10/09/apple-china-quartz-app-store/|title=Apple removes 'Quartz' news app from Chinese App Store|last=Miller|first=Chance|date=2019-10-09|website=9to5Mac|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010065316/https://9to5mac.com/2019/10/09/apple-china-quartz-app-store/|archive-date=2019-10-10|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/9/20907228/apple-quartz-app-store-china-removal-hong-kong-protests-censorship|title=Apple removes Quartz news app from the Chinese App Store over Hong Kong coverage|last=Statt|first=Nick|date=2019-10-09|website=The Verge|language=en|access-date=2019-10-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010015646/https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/9/20907228/apple-quartz-app-store-china-removal-hong-kong-protests-censorship|archive-date=2019-10-10|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Great Firewall was formerly operated by the [[State Internet Information Office|SIIO]], as part of the [[Golden Shield Project]]. Since 2013, the firewall is technically operated by the [[Cyberspace Administration of China]] (CAC), which is the entity in charge of translating the [[Chinese Communist Party]]'s [[Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party|ideology]] and policy into technical specifications.

As mentioned in the "[[one country, two systems]]" principle, China's [[Special administrative regions of China|special administrative regions]] (SARs) such as [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] are not affected by the firewall, as SARs have their own governmental and legal systems and therefore enjoy a higher degree of autonomy. Nevertheless, the [[U.S. State Department]] has reported that the central government authorities have closely monitored Internet use in these regions,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2011/eap/187483.htm|title=China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau) - Hong Kong|work=[[U.S. Department of State]]|access-date=29 July 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701191914/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2011/eap/187483.htm|archive-date=1 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and Hong Kong's [[2020 Hong Kong national security law|National Security Law]] has been used to block websites documenting [[List of protests in Hong Kong|anti-government protests]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hong Kong police use national security law for first time to block access to website recording anti-government protests, officers' details |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3117072/hong-kong-police-use-national-security-law-block |website=South China Morning Post |date=9 January 2021 |access-date=13 January 2021 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428165219/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3117072/hong-kong-police-use-national-security-law-block |url-status=live }}</ref>

Provincial governments in parts of China, such as [[Henan|Henan Province]], run their own versions of the firewall.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-11 |title=A Wall Behind A Wall: Emerging Regional Censorship in China |url=https://gfw.report/publications/sp25/en/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=GFW Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Arthur |date=2025-05-20 |title=Henan Develops Its Own Regional Great Firewall, Adding Layers to China's Censorship |url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/05/henan-develops-its-own-regional-great-firewall-adding-layers-to-chinas-censorship/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=[[China Digital Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hawkins |first=Amy |date=2025-05-24 |title=‘Alarming’ rise in regional internet censorship in China, study finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/24/alarming-rise-in-regional-internet-censorship-in-china-study-finds |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The term ''Great Firewall of China'' is a combination of the word [[Firewall (computing)|firewall]] with the [[Great Wall of China]]. The phrase "Great Firewall of China" was first used in print by Australian [[sinologist]] [[Geremie Barmé]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lanfranco|first1=Edward|title=The China Yahoo! welcome: You've got Jail!|url=http://www.upi.com/The-China-Yahoo-welcome-Youve-got-Jail/40351126286824/|work=UPI|date=9 September 2005|language=en|access-date=9 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810052910/http://www.upi.com/The-China-Yahoo-welcome-Youve-got-Jail/40351126286824/|archive-date=10 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.wired.com/1997/06/china-3/ |title=The Great Firewall of China |journal=[[Wired (website)|Wired]] |last1=Barme |first1=Geremie R. |last2=Ye |first2=Sang |date=6 January 1997 |access-date=29 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101024548/http://www.wired.com/1997/06/china-3/ |archive-date=2016-01-01|url-status=live }}</ref>