China is making the internet less free, and US tech companies are helping

China is making the internet less free, and US tech companies are helping

6 years ago
Anonymous $yysEBM5EYi

https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/2/18053142/china-internet-privacy-censorship-apple-microsoft-google-democracy-report

China’s restrictive internet policies are been actively exported around the world, according to a new report by non-profit organization Freedom House published yesterday. Freedom House, a bipartisan think tank funded primarily by the US government, says that China’s “digital authoritarianism” could threaten democracies in countries.

It’s the fourth year in a row that Freedom House has ranked China at the bottom for internet freedom. But at the same time that China’s internet remains a walled garden, companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google are eagerly eyeing partnerships with Chinese businesses and increased expansion into the country. By not opposing China’s censorship policies directly and continuing to embrace the country, US tech companies are arguably legitimizing this restricted version of the internet that other countries are looking up to, Freedom House argues.