[sharetea]

Also related, looks like China's finally cutting itself off the rest of the internet in the world....switching from blacklisting to whitelisting.

"The proposed rules would prohibit the country’s Internet-service providers from allowing connections to websites with domains, or Web addresses, registered outside China. Violators would face fines of up to 30,000 yuan ($4,621) and public notices exposing their failure to obey."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/china-seeks-more-legal-muscle-to...

[jacquesm]

The more these things happen the more you should see it as panic in the eyes of the current wielders of significant power in China. Controlling access to information like this is fundamentally incompatible with being a nation that trades with all of the world. Trade requires communication and (forgive the 'Chinese Math') a fraction of the Chinese population is in daily contact with the rest of the world.

It's a matter of time, really. How much I have no idea, they are doing what they can to abuse technology to fight this rearguard action, and what the fall-out will be like I have no idea about either, other than that it probably won't be pretty and that it will upset lots of applecarts, made in China and elsewhere.

[smaili]

You have to wonder if it's actions like these that give cause for concern to the people of Hong Kong, who I'm sure will eventually have to comply with these restrictions.

[sehr]

That's so incredibly saddening. One of the greatest mediums for cultural exchange, possibly lopped off at the head before it could grow up.

[mikekchar]

I don't imagine it will happen in my lifetime, but I think there will be a time where China will want the rest of the world to understand them more than they want to block off the rest of the world. It's easy to think about government regimes in a polarised fashion - western democratic model: good, insular communist model: bad. In truth there is plenty of corruption to go around. Those in power find ways to stay in power for the long haul -- this is something all cultures share. The difference is how they do it.

As you say, the internet changes the world and I believe that it will create opportunities that even the most insular governments will not be able to pass up. It will take decades, but I think that it must happen. Our task in the meantime is to ensure that the internet stays functional. Things like strong encryption is vital. Probably net neutrality is a close second. Even in more open cultures, there are powerful forces trying to limit what the internet can be. As long as we can keep it unfettered in one place, I believe the benefits it brings will eventually draw everybody in. As such, my (unasked for) advice is not to worry too much about what China is doing and to concentrate on keeping the internet free where you are.

[hackuser]

> > Our task in the meantime is to ensure that the internet stays functional ...

I'd add end-user control to your list, as archaic as that might sound these days. Centralized systems provide a single point of political pressure and of failure.

[pjc50]

One of the things China is absolutely not interested in is cultural exchange. That brings with it the possibility of change and destabilisation.

[bduerst]

What does this mean for common VPN providers?

[Laforet]

Strictly speaking, not very much. This is basically rent seeking by domestic registrars under the disguise of censorship.

[bduerst]

So the whitelisting is at the domain level, not IP?

(I couldn't access the article)

[Laforet]

The law change basically forces sites serving a domestic audience to use a domestic domain registrar where the government has the legal authority to seize them when they wish to. There is already a whitelist system in place (ICP licensing) but site owners can always take their operations elsewhere as long as they retain control to the domain.

That said, it is vague enough that an IP whitelist can be inferred from a very liberal interpretation. The NYT writeup reiterates this point.

[eveningcoffee]

China actions looks to me like a free trade violation and makes me question the point of the WTO. Perhaps we (US, EU) should apply sizeable customs to the goods from China?