This project, produced by ChinaFile, which is an online magazine published by the Asia Society, was funded with support from the Open Technology Fund (OTF) and Carnegie Corporation of New York. OTF also introduced us to a number of their other grantees, whose work we have sometimes quoted or cited. However, we have produced this project independently, based on our own research and expertise, and without any editorial guidance or interference from any third party, including OTF.
For safety reasons, some researchers in the fields of China studies and computer science author articles or reports anonymously. Though in general we seek to avoid relying on anonymous work if we do not ourselves know the author, we have made several exceptions during the course of this project. Where these anonymous authors appear in peer-reviewed journals, we have trusted the peer review process to vet the work. In one case, we have cited an anonymous work on the censorship of Wikipedia that contains extensive methodological documentation and has been cited by other experts in the field.
We have followed the journalistic convention of not footnoting, though wherever possible we have linked to relevant sources. We are happy to respond to individual sourcing questions.
Cover art by Steven Weinberg for ChinaFile. Other graphics found throughout the website are licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
A Note on Terminology
China’s government comprises both the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the state. The CCP is woven into and directs the functions of the state much more fully than do political parties in many democracies.
To oversimplify somewhat, the Party determines policy and the state implements these decisions. State organs may offer policy recommendations and implement decisions in ways that shape policy substance and outcomes, but ultimately the Party calls the shots. The Party oversees the selection of state officials, and the vast majority of senior state leaders are also Party members, who lead Party committees in every state organization.
When we refer to “China’s government,” “the Chinese government,” “Beijing,” or sometimes even “China,” we are glossing over the distinction between the Party and the state because, in many cases, that distinction isn’t relevant to the discussion at hand. We employ similar logic when we mention organs of the Party or state, not identifying them as belonging to one or the other.
Acknowledgements
We want to thank the following individuals and institutions for supporting us in various ways during the course of this 18-month project.
Jeff Knockel, for patiently answering numerous questions, and for reviewing the service-level censorship section.
Mareike Ohlberg, for reading the main article draft, helping us think through what China’s internet will look like in the future, and for always being ready to offer a gut-check.
Katja Drinhausen, for brainstorming potential future scenarios with us.
Dave Levin and Sadia Nourin, for discussing this project at length and running a few experiments for us.
Patrick Boehler, for always being available to talk and for not only answering our questions but also following up with research and sources.
Researchers from GFW Report, for sharing so much of their time, expertise, and data, and for reviewing a portion of the technical explainers.
Amir Houmansadr, for taking the time to help transfer data to us, and for reviewing the network-level censorship section.
Christian Göbel, for speaking with us multiple times about his research, and even doing some additional research for us.
Paul Duke, for their patient and careful work on various datasets, as well as their thoughtful questions about our drafts.
Siodhbhra Parkin, Aryn Baker, Neil Thomas, Kevin Bock, and David Choffnes, for reviewing the technical explainers.
Casey Kolderup, for his thoughtful feedback and comments on multiple parts of this project.
Myf, for reviewing the evasion section.
Xiao Qiang, for generously sharing his abundant wisdom about censorship in China, and for being equally generous with his time.
David Bandurski and China Media Project, for working with us to translate and co-publish a lengthy interview with an information control worker in China.
Jeremy Daum, for answering many questions about China’s laws and how those may or may not correspond to the real world.
Todd Stein and Julian Gewirtz, for their thoughts on how to contextualize our findings.
The many, many individuals who were willing to speak with us very early on in this process, helping us get our footing and pointing us to additional resources.
Those who helped us in ways big and small, but who wish to remain anonymous.
All errors or inaccuracies are solely our own. –Laura Edelson and Jessica Batke
Disclaimer
Chinafile and Asia Society take no institutional position on matters of public policy and other issues addressed in the articles they publish. All statements of fact and expressions of opinion in this article are the sole responsibility of its authors and may not reflect the views of the organization and its board, staff, and supporters.