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Great Firewall
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==Origins of Chinese Internet law== China's view of the Internet is one of "[[Network sovereignty|Internet sovereignty]]": the notion that the Internet inside the country is part of the country's sovereignty and should be governed by the country.<ref name=WaPo2017/><ref>{{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]]|date=23 May 2016|access-date=2 September 2017|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> While the United States and several other western countries passed laws creating computer crimes beginning in the 1970s, China had no such legislation until 1997. That year, China's sole legislative body β the [[National People's Congress]] (NPC) β passed CL97, a law that deals with cyber crimes, which it divided into two broad categories: crimes that target computer networks, and crimes carried out over computer networks. Behavior illegal under the latter category includes, among many things, the dissemination of [[pornographic]] material, and the usurping of "[[classified information|state secrets]]."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China (1997) |url=http://www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/englishnpc/Law/2007-12/13/content_1384075.htm |access-date=2024-01-03 |website=www.npc.gov.cn |archive-date=6 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106073907/http://www.npc.gov.cn/zgrdw/englishnpc/Law/2007-12/13/content_1384075.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some Chinese judges were critical of CL97, calling it ineffective and unenforceable. However, the NPC claimed that it intentionally left the law "flexible" so that it could be open to future interpretation and development. Given the gaps in the law, the central government of China relies heavily on its administrative body, the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]], to determine what falls under the definitions, and their determinations are not required to go through the NPC legislative process. As a result, the Chinese Communist Party has ended up relying heavily on state regulation to carry out CL97.<ref>{{cite book |last=Keith |first=Ronald |author2=Lin, Zhiqiu |title=New Crime in China |url=https://archive.org/details/newcrimechinapub00keit |url-access=limited |publisher=Routledge Taylor & Francis Group |date=2006 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newcrimechinapub00keit/page/n229 217]β225 |isbn=0415314828 }}</ref> The latter definition of online activities punishable under CL97, or "crimes carried out over computer networks", is used as justification for the Great Firewall, and can be cited when the government blocks any ISP, gateway connections, or any access to anything on the internet. The definition also includes using the internet to distribute information considered "harmful to national security," and using the internet to distribute information considered "harmful to public order, social stability, and Chinese morality." The central government relies heavily on its State Council regulators to determine what specific online behavior and speech fall under these definitions.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The reasons behind the Internet censorship in China include: * Social control: the Internet is a means for freedom of speech, and dissemination of campaigns could lead to protests against the government. * Sensitive content: to control information about the government in China. * Economic protectionism: China prefers the use of local companies that are regulated by Chinese regulations, since they have more power over them, e.g. [[Baidu]] over [[Google]].{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Anderson|first=Daniel|title=Splinternet Behind the Great Firewall of China: Once China opened its door to the world, it could not close it again.|publisher=Queue}}</ref>
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