Blog on Internet

I was really glad to see that the textbook had a piece called "China's Great Firewall". This article was on how China tightly controls the flow of information across country. This is something I believed wasn't talked or discussed about enough and here it was in a college textbook. Being a Tibetan, I was quite furious during 2008 when China refused to let any information into and out of Tibet. Meanwhile, the CCP (Chinese Communist Government) was handing out atrocious punishments to Tibetans who rose publicly for their own human rights behind closed doors.

Internet was definitely a valuable tool for protestors during that time and the Chinese government knew that and virtually had it shut down. All networking websites were shut down for some time making it impossible for people inside Tibet to communicate with family members or friends outside the country (as well as phone lines). Only through smuggled photographs and traveling word were people outside the country able to know what was going on. Overseas, Tibetans in exile compiled a list to account for the deaths. There has also been graphic photographs that have enraged the public.

Meanwhile, outside of Tibet, Tibetan organizations were working to lobby their host governments, pressuring the International Olympic Committee, sending pleas to the United Nation and creating a great amount of public awareness. During this time, these board members of the various organizations had their email accounts and websites hacked. They also encountered a number of viruses in their emails. It was no coincidence. They were being cyber attacked by an organization that opposed the Tibetan movement.

It's interesting how Internet has become a primary tool for the flow of information. We depend on it on a daily basis to be in touch with the outside world. People use it for their own benefit or to falter opposing members. Certainly, to goverment it has great intimidation. It's the fact that everyone uses the internet and there are so many diverse opinions and movements.