Reader Response Draft 3

The article, “Who is the true enemy of internet freedom-China, Russia or the U.S?’’ by Morozov (2015) claims that the U.S. is the true enemy of Internet freedom. Morozov gives several examples to explain how the U.S obtains data from other countries by cooperating with American-based Internet Companies, and how it further challenges worldwide information sovereignty with its technology. On the other hand, it seeks to justify China’s and Russia’s efforts in defending Internet security and protecting citizens from Western culture influences, through the implementation of Internet restriction policies.

 

As Morozov’s article explores the reasons for Internet restriction in China and Russia, it is more important for us to discuss whether Internet restriction can be justified, instead of determining who the true enemy of Internet freedom is.

 

China has imposed restrictions on Internet platform services such as Google and Facebook due to several reasons. Firstly, the Chinese government is trying to protect its technological sovereignty. By reducing their people’s reliance on American-based Internet services, China lowers their risk of leaking information pertaining to confidential matters of state. Morozov states that U.S. companies cooperate closely with the U.S government so as to obtain data from anywhere, as long as the country adopts American-run Internet services. It is demonstrated by the ongoing squabble between Microsoft and the U.S government(Morozov,2005), which is relevant to an investigation of Microsoft servers in Ireland, where the U.S government claimed to have rights to access data regardless where it is stored (Morozov, 2015). This shows that the U.S. is ambitious enough to control information on a worldwide scale. In fear of data leaks from state, the Chinese government has to restrict Internet services to protect its information sovereignty. Therefore, in the sense of protecting national security, Internet restriction can be understood and justified.

 

 

Secondly, apart from the defence of nation security, Internet restriction can be seen as way of nation governance in China. Frizell, (2004) argues that Chinese government had concerted effort to limit information about the incipient pro-democratic movement, such as Tiananmen Square Massacre and Xinjiang riots.  This shows the Chinese government is preserving its own political interest, rather than protecting their citizens from Western influence and to defend their Internet security. In my general opinion, citizens should have rights to access information and have freedom of speech. However, the successful attainment of Internet freedom is dependent on a nation’s actual condition, such as the state system and level of civilization. As a state with a large population, it is not easy for China to maintain peace and unity among citizens; so Internet restriction can be seen as a way to maintain state order. As Michael (2010) cited, laws in China clearly prohibit the spread of information which subverts state power and undermines national unity. This can be observed in the 2009 Xingjiang riot, where the Chinese government had censored posts related to the riot caused by resentment between the Han Chinese and Uyghur. This was to minimize the spreading of information which could challenge the harmony between the two races. If censorship had not been implemented, protesters from the two races may foment unrest, which could further put the country at risk of civil strife.
Although Internet restriction has prohibited citizens from accessing certain information, we cannot deny that it does protect a nation’s security to a certain extent.

 

In conclusion, it is important for us to understand that there is no definite right or wrong. In case of China, a state which has rather large population and unequal development of education and social system, government has to restrict any information which can challenge national unity and defend its information security, by implement any relevant policies. As there is nothing more important than the nation interest, Internet restriction can be justified in certain situation.

(595 words)

References: 

 Morozov, E. (2015). Who’s the true enemy of internet freedom - China, Russia, or the US. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/internet-freedom-china-russia-us-google-microsoft-digital-sovereignty

Frizell, S. (2014). Here Are 6 Huge Websites China is Censoring Right Now. TIME. Retrieved from http://time.com/2820452/china-censor-web/

Michael,B.(2010).China defends Internet censorship.BBC News.Retrieved from: www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8727647.stm

 

 

Reader Response Draft 2

The article, “Who is the true enemy of internet freedom-China, Russia or the U.S?’’ by Morozov (2015) claims that the U.S. is the true enemy of Internet freedom. Morozov gives several examples to explain how the U.S obtains data from other countries by cooperating with American-based Internet Companies, and how it further challenges worldwide information sovereignty with its technology. On the other hand, it seeks to justify China’s and Russia’s efforts in defending Internet security and protecting citizens from Western culture influences, through the implementation of Internet restriction policies.

 

As Morozov’s article explores the reasons for Internet restriction in China and Russia, it is more important for us to discuss whether Internet restriction can be justified, instead of determining who the true enemy of Internet freedom is.

 

China has imposed restrictions on Internet platform services such as Google and Facebook due to several reasons. Firstly, the Chinese government is trying to protect its technological sovereignty. By reducing their people’s reliance on American-based Internet services, China lowers their risk of leaking information pertaining to confidential matters of state. Referring to the article, U.S. companies cooperate closely with the U.S government so as to obtain data from anywhere, as long as the country adopts American-run Internet services. It is demonstrated by the ongoing squabble between Microsoft and the U.S government(Morozov,2005), which is relevant to an investigation of Microsoft servers in Ireland, where the U.S government claimed to have rights to access data regardless where it is stored (Morozov, 2015). This shows that the U.S. is ambitious enough to control information on a worldwide scale. In fear of data leaks from state, the Chinese government has to restrict Internet services to protect its information sovereignty. Therefore, in the sense of protecting national security, Internet restriction can be understood and justified.

 

 

 

Frizell, (2004) argues that Chinese government had concerted effort to limit information about the incipient pro-democratic movement, such as Tiananmen Square Massacre and Xinjiang riots.  This shows the Chinese government is preserving its own interest in political terms, rather than protecting its citizens from Western influence and defending their Internet security. In my general opinion, citizens should have rights to access information and have freedom of speech. However, the successful attainment of Internet freedom is dependent on a nation’s actual condition, such as the state system and level of civilization. As a state with a large population, it is not easy for China to maintain peace and unity among citizens; so Internet restriction can be seen as a way to maintain state order. As Michael (2010) cited, laws in China clearly prohibit the spread of information which subverts state power and undermines national unity. This can be observed in the 2009 Xingjiang riot, where the Chinese government had censored posts related to the riot caused by resentment between the Han Chinese and Uyghur. This was to minimize the spreading of information which could challenge the harmony between the two races. If censorship had not been implemented, protesters from the two races may foment unrest, which could further put the country at risk of civil strife.
Although Internet restriction has prohibited citizens from accessing certain information, we cannot deny that it does protect a nation’s security to a certain extent.

 

In conclusion, it is important for us to understand that there is never an absolution for right or wrong, just like Internet restriction can be justified in some situation, as it does protect nation interest. It depends on country’s condition and how the government going to rule their country.

(585 words)

References: 

 Morozov, E. (2015). Who’s the true enemy of internet freedom - China, Russia, or the US. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/internet-freedom-china-russia-us-google-microsoft-digital-sovereignty

Frizell, S. (2014). Here Are 6 Huge Websites China is Censoring Right Now. TIME. Retrieved from http://time.com/2820452/china-censor-web/

Michael,B.(2010).China defends Internet censorship.BBS News.Retrieved from: www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8727647.stm

summary (draft 1)

Morozov (2015) claims that rather than China or Russia, the United States(U.S.) is the true enemy of Internet freedom; as the U.S. is challenging worldwide information sovereignty by it's technology.
The author believes that U.S.is trying to obtain data from other countries, by cooperating with American-based Internet companies. The U.S. government can simply acquire the data everywhere from these companies, as long as the countries adopt American-run Internet service. On the other hand, although measures implemented by the Chinese and Russian government seem to restrict Internet freedom; these measures are only means to protect their citizens from influenced by Western culture and as ways to defend their Internet security.


Morozov,E.(2015).Who's the true enemy of the internet freedom-China,Russia,or the US. The Guardian.Retrieved from:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/internet-freedom-china-russia-us-google-microsoft-digital-sovereignty

My English Language Learning Journey

I started learning English lesson in primary three back in my country. I can still remember the lovely cartoon characters printed on my text book, and tutors were trying to teach us by playing interesting games. The study of English seemed enjoyable when I was young. Even as I grew older and had formal English lesson in secondary school, I did not see English as a difficult subject, for only simple grammar and vocabulary were taught during each lesson.

After I had finished three years of study in secondary school and decided to continue my studies in Singapore, I realized that my rocky journey of English study had just started.The standard of English language in Singapore was much higher as compared to that in my country's school, standard speaking and writing skills were required during any examinations, yet I was unable to write a single paragraph in English when I had just entered the school.As I read books and passages,I struggled with grammar and vocabulary. Comprehension practice had always been a nightmare for me, for I had to check every single word by dictionary and it really exhausted me. Moreover, international students came from countries such as Indonesia and Philippines, which increased competition as they are more comfortable with speaking English. Anyway, the learning of English always makes me feel extremely stressed.


Learning English really became a tough job for me; however, there is no way to escape from it. Though I declared Chinese as my major studies, English writing skills are still necessary for other subjects taught in English. Furthermore,as I am living in Singapore,by improving English I will have the confidence to make more international friends. I have to work harder in my journey of learning English.




(295 words)