Editing Great Firewall (section)

=== Goal of the Firewall ===
Article 15 of a 20 September 2000 document from the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|Chinese State Council]], posted by the Xinhua News Agency, lists 9 categories of information which should be [[Censorship in China|censored]], blocked, or filtered from access to the citizens using the internet within China:

# Opposing the basic principles as they are confirmed in the Constitution.
# Jeopardizing the security of the nation, divulging state secrets, subverting state power, or jeopardizing the integrity of the nation's unity
# Harming the honor or the interests of the nation
# Inciting hatred against peoples, racism against peoples, or disrupting the solidarity of peoples
# Disrupting national policies on religion, propagating evil cults and feudal superstitions
# Spreading rumors, disturbing social order or disrupting social stability
# Spreading obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, murder, terror, or abetting the commission of a crime
# Insulting or defaming third parties, infringing on the legal rights and interests of third parties
# Containing any other content prohibited by law or administrative rules<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 25, 2000|title=Measures for the Administration of Internet Information Services|url=https://www.cecc.gov/resources/legal-provisions/measures-for-the-administration-of-internet-information-services-cecc|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=Congressional-Executive Commission on China|archive-date=8 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808050045/https://www.cecc.gov/resources/legal-provisions/measures-for-the-administration-of-internet-information-services-cecc|url-status=live}}</ref>

To filter this content, the Chinese government not only uses its own blocking methods, but also heavily relies on internet companies, such as ISPs, social media operators such as Weibo,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Griffiths|first=James|date=March 20, 2019|title=Weibo's Free-Speech Failure|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/what-went-wrong-chinas-weibo-social-network/584728/|access-date=April 21, 2021|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001213308/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/03/what-went-wrong-chinas-weibo-social-network/584728/|url-status=live}}</ref> and others to actively censor their users.<ref>“[https://pen.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PEN-America_Forbidden-Feeds-report-6.6.18.pdf FORBIDDEN FEEDS: Government Controls on Social Media in China] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118234716/https://pen.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PEN-America_Forbidden-Feeds-report-6.6.18.pdf |date=18 November 2021 }}," ''PEN America''. (March 13, 2018) p. 33.</ref> This results in private companies censoring their own platform for filtered content, forcing Chinese internet users to use websites not hosted in China to access this information. Much of this information is related to sensitive topics.<ref name=":02">“[https://pen.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PEN-America_Forbidden-Feeds-report-6.6.18.pdf FORBIDDEN FEEDS: Government Controls on Social Media in China] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118234716/https://pen.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PEN-America_Forbidden-Feeds-report-6.6.18.pdf |date=18 November 2021 }}," ''PEN America''. (March 13, 2018) p. 24.</ref> The Great Firewall's goal is perceived by the Chinese Communist Party as helping to protect the Chinese population by preventing users from accessing these foreign websites which, in their opinion, host content which would be 'spiritual pollution', as well as information about these sensitive topics.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Abbott|first=Jason|date=April 30, 2019|title=Of Grass Mud Horses and Rice Bunnies: Chinese Internet Users Challenge Beijing's Censorship and Internet Controls|url=https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12442|journal=Asian Politics & Policy|volume=11|pages=162–168|doi=10.1111/aspp.12442|s2cid=159308868|access-date=21 April 2021|archive-date=8 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808050052/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aspp.12442|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> These topics include:

* Names of [[paramount leader]]s, such as [[Xi Jinping]] and [[Deng Xiaoping]]
* [[Protest and dissent in China|Political movements and protests]]
* [[Falun Gong]] and other spiritual groups
* The [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests|Tiananmen Square Massacre]]
* The [[Xinjiang internment camps]]
* Discussions of [[Tibetan independence movement|Tibetan Independence]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Xiao|first=Qiang|date=April 30, 2009|title=Baidu's internal monitoring and censorship document leaked|work=China Digital Times|url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/04/baidus-internal-monitoring-and-censorship-document-leaked/|access-date=April 20, 2021|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419185003/https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/04/baidus-internal-monitoring-and-censorship-document-leaked/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Shu|first=Catherine|date=June 3, 2019|title=A Look at the many ways China suppresses online discourse about the Tiananmen Square protests|work=Tech Crunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/03/a-look-at-the-many-ways-china-suppresses-online-discourse-about-the-tiananmen-square-protests/|access-date=April 20, 2021|archive-date=21 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421202820/https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/03/a-look-at-the-many-ways-china-suppresses-online-discourse-about-the-tiananmen-square-protests/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>“[https://pen.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PEN-America_Forbidden-Feeds-report-6.6.18.pdf FORBIDDEN FEEDS: Government Controls on Social Media in China] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118234716/https://pen.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/PEN-America_Forbidden-Feeds-report-6.6.18.pdf |date=18 November 2021 }}," PEN America. (March 13, 2018) p. 41-42.</ref>

A 2020 study found that the Great Firewall blocks approximately 311,000 domains.<ref name=":Zhang">{{Cite book |last=Zhang |first=Angela Huyue |title=High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2024 |isbn=9780197682258 |doi=10.1093/oso/9780197682258.001.0001}}</ref><ref name=":3" />