The Washington Post reported today that China will begin pushing images of cartoon police officers to Beijing Internet users beginning September 1st. The anime officers will remind users of their government’s all watchful eye. Specifically,
[t]he male and female cartoon officers, designed for the ministry by Sohu, will offer a text warning to surfers to abide by the law and tips on Internet security as they move across the screen in a virtual car, motorcycle or on foot.
The Internet in China is one of the most heavily monitored and censored in the world. Users are frequently banned from viewing material which is considered impolitic or immoral. The goal of this project is to further the specter of the all seeing and powerful government eye. But China’s Internet users have become adaptive and resourceful over the past few years, learning to circumvent and avoid their government’s controls. The AP noted that “[d]espite the controls, nudity, profanity, illegal gambling and pirated music, books and film have proliferated on Chinese Internet servers,” and a recent report on NPR highlighted the successes of Chinese online gamers in defeating government controls.
Governments, including our own, should know by now that censorship is pointless in an age where technology is plentiful. And that those citizens who are resourceful, curious, and adaptive enough to bypass government filters are the very citizens which have the necessary skills to lead their countries into the future. They should be lauded and not punished. If governments do not learn that lesson they will find themselves under siege by the best and brightest of their own citizens.
