Editing Great Firewall (section)

==History==
A favorite saying of [[Deng Xiaoping]]'s in the early 1980s, "If you open the window, both fresh air and flies will be blown in", is considered to be the political and ideological basis of the GFW Project.<ref group=nb>{{zh|c=打开窗户，新鲜空气和苍蝇就会一起进来。|p= Dǎkāi chuānghù, xīnxiān kōngqì hé cāngying jiù huì yìqǐ jìnlái|scase=yes}}.<br />There are several variants of this saying in Chinese, including "如果你打开窗户换新鲜空气，就得想到苍蝇也会飞进来。" and "打开窗户，新鲜空气进来了，苍蝇也飞进来了。". Their meanings are the same.</ref> The saying is related to a period of the economic reform of China that became known as the "[[socialist market economy]]". Superseding the political ideologies of the [[Cultural Revolution]], the reform led China towards a [[market economy]] and opened up the market for foreign investors. Nonetheless, despite the economic freedom, values and political ideas of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have had to be protected by "swatting flies" of other unwanted ideologies.<ref>R. MacKinnon "Flatter world and thicker walls? Blogs, censorship and civic discourse in China" ''[[Public Choice (journal)|Public Choice]]'' (2008) 134: p. 31–46, Springer</ref>

The [[internet in China]] arrived in 1994,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinanews.com/special/guoqing/60/2009/06-25/122.shtml |title=中国接入互联网 |publisher=[[China News Service]] |access-date=28 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219141011/http://www.chinanews.com/special/guoqing/60/2009/06-25/122.shtml |archive-date=19 February 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> as the inevitable consequence of and supporting tool for a "socialist market economy". Gradually, while Internet availability has been increasing, the Internet has become a common communication platform and tool for trading information.

The Chinese government's control over the Internet began in 1996 when Premier [[Li Peng]] signed State Council Order No. 195, issuing the "Interim Regulations on the Management of International Networking of Computer Information Networks". Article 6 of the Regulations states: "Computer information networks that directly connect to the international network must use the international entry and exit channels provided by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications’ national public telecommunications network. No unit or individual may establish or use other channels to connect to the international network on their own." This regulation was later widely used to punish "climbing over the firewall".<ref name="solidot0924">{{cite news |author=Edwards |date=2023-09-24 |title=网友称为境外公司远程工作被没收所有违法所得 |url=https://www.solidot.org/story?sid=76177 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105030111/https://www.solidot.org/story?sid=76177 |archive-date=2024-01-05 |access-date=2024-01-15 |work=[[Solidot]]}}</ref>

The [[Ministry of Public Security (China)|Ministry of Public Security]] took initial steps to control Internet use in 1997, when it issued comprehensive regulations governing its use. The key sections, Articles 4–6, are:
{{blockquote|Individuals are prohibited from using the Internet to: harm national security; disclose state secrets; or injure the interests of the state or society. Users are prohibited from using the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit information that incites resistance to the [[PRC Constitution]], laws, or administrative regulations; promoting the overthrow of the government or socialist system; undermining national unification; distorting the truth, spreading rumors, or destroying social order; or providing sexually suggestive material or encouraging gambling, violence, or murder. Users are prohibited from engaging in activities that harm the security of computer information networks and from using networks or changing network resources without prior approval.<ref>"China and the Internet.", ''[[International Debates]]'', 15420345, Apr2010, Vol. 8, Issue 4</ref>}}

In 1998, the Chinese Communist Party feared that the [[China Democracy Party]] (CDP) would breed a powerful new network that CCP elites might not be able to control.<ref>Goldman, Merle Goldman. Gu, Edward X. [2004] (2004). Chinese Intellectuals between State and Market. [[Routledge]]. {{ISBN|0415325978}}</ref> The CDP was immediately banned, followed by arrests and imprisonment.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Jack L. |author-link1=Jack Goldsmith |last2=Wu |first2=Tim |author-link2=Tim Wu |title=Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2006 |location=New York |isbn=0-19-515266-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/whocontrolsinter00gold/page/91 91] |title-link=Who Controls the Internet? }}</ref> That same year, the GFW project was started. The first part of the project lasted eight years and was completed in 2006. The second part began in 2006 and ended in 2008. On 6 December 2002, 300 people in charge of the GFW project from 31 [[Province (China)|provinces]] and [[List of cities in China|cities]] throughout China participated in a four-day inaugural "Comprehensive Exhibition on Chinese Information System".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adsale.com.hk/corporate/idx/eng/adsale_group|title=Adsale Corporate Website - Adsale Group|first=Adsale Corporate|last=Website|website=www.adsale.com.hk|access-date=2020-05-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502184124/https://www.adsale.com.hk/corporate/idx/eng/adsale_group|archive-date=2020-05-02|url-status=live}}</ref> At the exhibition, many western high-tech products, including [[Internet security]], [[video monitoring]] and human [[Facial recognition system|face recognition]] were purchased. It is estimated that around 30,000–50,000 police were employed in this gigantic project.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-04-27 |title=What is internet censorship? - Amnesty International Australia |url=http://www.amnesty.org.au/china/comments/10926/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427065800/http://www.amnesty.org.au/china/comments/10926/ |archive-date=27 April 2015 }}</ref>

[[File:Fang binxing.jpg|thumb|left|Fang Binxing]]
[[Fang Binxing]] is known for his substantial contribution to [[Internet censorship in China|China's Internet censorship infrastructure]], and has been dubbed "Father of China's Great Fire Wall".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/12/%E2%80%98father%E2%80%99-of-china%E2%80%99s-great-firewall-shouted-off-own-microblog/ | title='Father' of China's Great Firewall Shouted Off Own Microblog | work=[[China Digital Times]] (CDT) | date=20 December 2010 | access-date=24 October 2019 | first=Xiao | last=Qiang | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225145914/https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2010/12/%e2%80%98father%e2%80%99-of-china%e2%80%99s-great-firewall-shouted-off-own-microblog/ | archive-date=25 December 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=WSJ>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/12/20/father-of-chinas-great-firewall-shouted-off-own-microblog/|title='Father' of China's Great Firewall Shouted Off Own Microblog – China Real Time Report – WSJ|date=20 December 2010|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=25 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119154634/https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/12/20/father-of-chinas-great-firewall-shouted-off-own-microblog/|archive-date=19 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | publisher = Yunnan Information Times | script-title = zh:"防火墙之父"北邮校长方滨兴微博遭网民"围攻" | url = http://china.nfdaily.cn/content/2010-12/23/content_18691581.htm | date = 23 December 2010 | access-date = 20 May 2011 | language = zh | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721182306/http://china.nfdaily.cn/content/2010-12/23/content_18691581.htm | archive-date = 21 July 2011 | url-status = dead }}</ref>