Currents events assignment # 3

Title of Current Event: Beijing Imposes New rules on Social Networking Sites

Source of Current Event: http://www.nytimes.com/ (December 17, 2011)

In Beijing, China on Friday, December 16, 2011, a story broke out about the Chinese government imposing new rules that are aimed at controlling the way people post messages on social networking sites. These rules were enacted due to Chinese internet users posting messages that haved challenged the Chinese government's  authority. The Chinese government wants to restrict access to social media networks. They want to uncover the true identity of people who dissent (disagree) with Chinese officials. This will be done by requiring users to register using their real biographic information - real names, addresses, phone numbers,etc. Imagine a suggestion box and requiring people to sign their name.

The significance of the new rules is that the Chinese government's abuses will never be revealed to or addressed by the outside world. The impact that it will have locally is that it will reduce the number of complaints to and about the government. Nationally, there will be no changes made due to the fact that everyone is now afraid to even make an attempt at "dissenting" or speaking out. Globally, this will have effect  how other countries and nations use social networking sites like facebook, myspace, or twitter when contacting someone who lives in China. This has been an age where questions about privacy have reached an all time high. Other nations would not try and fight the Chinese government`s rulers and restrictions because militarily and economically very few nations can challenge them. The Chinese would not be able to make the argument against the social networking laws.

One of the enlightenment thinkers was Francois Marie Arouet (a.k.a Voltaire). He had strongly supported freedom of speech. Voltaire would probably read this article and ask what the  Chinese government meant to accomplish by these laws. He would disagree with the goivernment stifling free speech by intimidating its citizens with restricions and coercion.