Editing Internet censorship in China (section)

==Enforcement==
In December 1997, the [[Ministry of Public Security (China)|Ministry of Public Security]] released new regulations that levied fines for "defaming government agencies, splitting the nation, and leaking state secrets." Violators could face a fine of up to [[Renminbi|CNY]] 15,000 (roughly US$1,800).<ref name="Harwit, Eric 2008">Harwit, Eric. "China's Telecommunications Revolution." New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.</ref> Banning appeared to be mostly uncoordinated and ad hoc, with some [[website]]s allowed in one city, yet similar sites blocked in another. The blocks were often lifted for special occasions. For example, ''[[The New York Times]]'' was unblocked when reporters in a private interview with [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of China|CCP General Secretary]] [[Jiang Zemin]] specifically asked about the block and he replied that he would look into the matter. During the [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation|APEC]] summit in [[Shanghai]] during 2001, normally-blocked media sources such as [[CNN]], [[NBC]], and the ''[[Washington Post]]'' became accessible. Since 2001, blocks on Western media sites have been further relaxed, and all three of the sites previously mentioned were accessible from [[mainland China]]. However, access to ''the New York Times'' was denied again in December 2008.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/world/asia/20china.html?ref=todayspaper | work=The New York Times | title=China Blocks Access to The Times's Web Site | first=Keith | last=Bradsher | date=20 December 2008 | access-date=31 March 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502152306/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/world/asia/20china.html?ref=todayspaper | archive-date=2 May 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In the middle of 2005, China purchased over 200 routers from an American company, [[Cisco Systems]], which enabled the Chinese government to use more advanced censor technology.<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1120959457574_23/?hub=TopStories|title= China cracks down on web use, with Western help|date= 9 July 2005|publisher= CTV|access-date= 17 December 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070820141249/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1120959457574_23/?hub=TopStories|archive-date= 20 August 2007|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/California/News/2011/06_-_June/Cisco_aided_Chinese_Internet_censorship,_lawsuit_says/|title=Cisco aided Chinese Internet censorship, lawsuit says|date=3 June 2011|publisher=Thomson Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607032056/http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/California/News/2011/06_-_June/Cisco_aided_Chinese_Internet_censorship,_lawsuit_says/|archive-date=2011-06-07}}</ref> In February 2006, [[Google]], in exchange for equipment installation on Chinese soil, blocked websites which the Chinese government deemed illegal.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Google Under the Gun|magazine=Time|date=5 February 2006|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1156598,00.html|access-date=25 May 2017|first1=Lev|last1=Grossman|first2=Hannah|last2=Beech|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812145142/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1156598,00.html|url-status=live|archive-date=12 August 2014|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Google reversed this policy in 2010, after they suspected that a Google employee passed information to the Chinese Government and inserted [[Backdoor (computing)|backdoors]] into their software.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Branigan|first1=Tania|title=Google investigates China staff over cyber attack|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/jan/18/china-google-cyber-attack|access-date=23 January 2017|work=The Guardian|date=18 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202110850/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/jan/18/china-google-cyber-attack|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Branigan|first1=Tania|title=Google row: China's army of censors battles to defeat the internet|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/mar/23/google-hong-kong-china-censorship|access-date=23 January 2017|work=The Guardian|date=23 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202110908/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/mar/23/google-hong-kong-china-censorship|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2011, the [[State Council Information Office]] announced the transfer of its offices which regulated the Internet to a new subordinate agency, the [[State Internet Information Office]] which would be responsible for regulating the [[Internet in China]]. The relationship of the new agency to other Internet regulation agencies in China was unclear from the announcement.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wines|first=Michael|title=China Creates New Agency for Patrolling the Internet|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/asia/05china.html|access-date=5 May 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=4 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507163832/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/asia/05china.html|archive-date=7 May 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 26 August 2014, the State Internet Information Office (SIIO) was formally authorized by the state council to regulate and supervise all Internet content. It later launched a website called the [[Cyberspace Administration of China]] (CAC) and the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs. In February 2014, the Central Internet Security and Informatization and the [[Deep state|Deep State]] Leading Group was created in order to oversee cybersecurity and receive information from the CAC.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2017/china |title=China Country Report &#124; Freedom on the Net 2017 |publisher=Freedomhouse.org |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523115759/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2017/china |archive-date=23 May 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Chairing the 2018 China Cyberspace Governance Conference on 20 and 21 April 2018, [[Xi Jinping]], [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]], committed to "fiercely crack down on criminal offenses including hacking, telecom fraud, and violation of citizens' privacy."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-04-21 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/21/c_137127374.htm |title=Xinhua Headlines: Xi outlines blueprint to develop China's strength in cyberspace – Xinhua &#124; English.news.cn |publisher=Xinhuanet.com |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421162040/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/21/c_137127374.htm |archive-date=21 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Conference comes on the eve of the First Digital China Summit, which was held at the Fuzhou Strait International Conference and Exhibition Centre in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-04-22 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/22/c_137127632.htm |title=China's first driverless bus makes its debut ahead of Digital China Summit – Xinhua &#124; English.news.cn |publisher=Xinhuanet.com |access-date=22 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426004130/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/22/c_137127632.htm |archive-date=26 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 4 January 2019, the CAC started a project to take down pornography, violence, bloody content, horror, gambling, defrauding, Internet rumors, superstition, invectives, parody, threats, and proliferation of "bad lifestyles" and "bad popular culture".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/yuqing/2019-01/04/c_1210030391.htm |title=今日热点舆情(1月4日)"围堵"12类有害信息 打造清朗网络生态空间 |publisher=Xinhuanet.com |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105145434/http://www.xinhuanet.com/yuqing/2019-01/04/c_1210030391.htm |archive-date=5 January 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 10 January 2019, [[China Network Audiovisual Program Service Association]] announced a new regulation to censor short videos with controversial political or social content such as a "pessimistic outlook of millennials"{{Clarify|reason=|date=August 2020}}, "[[One-night stand|one night stands]]", "[[Marriage in modern China|non-mainstream views of love and marriage]]" as well as previously prohibited content deemed politically sensitive.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hn.xinhuanet.com/2019-01/10/c_1123971280.htm|title=网络短视频节目将先审后播 不得宣传"非主流婚恋观"|publisher=Xinhuanet.com|language=zh-cn|access-date=10 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110234946/http://www.hn.xinhuanet.com/2019-01/10/c_1123971280.htm|archive-date=10 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

China is planning to make [[deepfake]]s illegal which is described as the way to prevent "parody and pornography."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2019-05/13/c_1124488751.htm|title=新华调查：名人"画皮"、换脸恶搞、色情合成——AI视频换脸技术滥用调查-新华网|website=www.xinhuanet.com|access-date=14 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514065608/http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2019-05/13/c_1124488751.htm|archive-date=14 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2019, the CAC announced a regulation that said that Internet information providers and users in China who seriously violate related laws and regulations will be subject to [[Social Credit System]] blocklist. It also announces that Internet information providers and users who are not meeting the standard but mildly violation will be recorded in the List to Focus.<ref>{{cite news|date=29 July 2019|title=网络造谣者将被列入失信主体黑名单|url=http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20190729/Articel04004GN.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418091609/http://epaper.legaldaily.com.cn/fzrb/content/20190729/Articel04004GN.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2021|language=zh-cn|work=Legal Daily|access-date=2019-07-29}}</ref>

On 1 August 2022, the [[s:zh:互联网用户账号信息管理规定|Regulations on the Administration of Internet User Account Information]] were issued by the China Internet Information Office came into effect, which requires Internet accounts to fill in their real occupations, and user IP location will be displayed, while registration of some accounts in professional fields is even required to provide verification materials.<ref>{{cite news |author1=文东 |date=2022-07-22 |title=中国网络安全审查"组合拳"学者:全面管制时代来临 |work=[[Voice of America]] |url=https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-launches-security-review-on-cnki-the-country-s-leading-academic-research-database-0722222/6666367.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802060605/https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-launches-security-review-on-cnki-the-country-s-leading-academic-research-database-0722222/6666367.html |archive-date=2022-08-02 |language=zh}}</ref>

During the [[2022 COVID-19 protests in China]], the CAC directed companies such as [[Tencent]] and [[ByteDance]] to intensify their censorship efforts.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lin |first=Liza |title=China Clamps Down on Internet as It Seeks to Stamp Out Covid Protests |language=en-US |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-clamps-down-on-internet-as-it-seeks-to-stamp-out-covid-protests-11669905228 |access-date=2022-12-01 |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202024312/https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-clamps-down-on-internet-as-it-seeks-to-stamp-out-covid-protests-11669905228 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After 15 December 2022, the Regulations on the Administration of Internet Followers' Commenting Services came into force, which for the first time considered "likes" as a type of comment. In addition, the regulations state that public accounts must take the initiative to review the comments left by netizens. Some experts have pointed out that this means that netizens may be punished by the platform or the authorities for the content of their likes.<ref>{{cite news |author1=文灏 |date=2022-11-23 |title=中国网络审查新规12月上路 点赞"不良信息"也可能被追责 |work=[[Voice of America]] |url=https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-new-censorship-rule-20221122/6845946.html |language=zh |access-date=28 November 2022 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116131121/https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-new-censorship-rule-20221122/6845946.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Self-regulation===
Internet censorship in China has been called "a [[Panopticon (Internet culture)|panopticon]] that encourages [[self-censorship]] through the perception that users are being watched."<ref name="truefire">{{cite web|url= http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/chinas-eye-internet-fraud-14190.html|title= China's 'Eye on the Internet' a Fraud|access-date= 12 September 2007|website= ScienceBlog.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070915003116/http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/chinas-eye-internet-fraud-14190.html|archive-date= 15 September 2007|url-status= dead}}</ref> On 16 March 2002, the [[Internet Society of China]], a self-governing Chinese Internet industry body,<ref>{{cite book|last=Tai|first=Zixue|title=The Internet in China: cyberspace and civil society|year=2006|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn=978-0-415-97655-8|page=101|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-95XzS7l8QC&q=public+pledge+on+self-discipline+for+chinese+internet+industry+google&pg=PT123|access-date=22 April 2020|archive-date=24 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824001634/https://books.google.com/books?id=I-95XzS7l8QC&pg=PT123&lpg=PT123&dq=public+pledge+on+self-discipline+for+chinese+internet+industry+google&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> launched the [[Public Pledge on Self-Discipline for the Chinese Internet Industry]], an agreement between the Chinese Internet industry regulator and companies that operate sites in China. In signing the agreement, web companies pledge to identify and prevent the transmission of information that Chinese authorities deem objectionable, including information that "breaks laws or spreads superstition or obscenity", or that "may jeopardize state security and disrupt social stability".<ref>{{cite news|first1=Bruce|last1=Einhorn|first2=Ben|last2=Elgin|title=The Great Firewall of China|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_04/b3968055.htm|access-date=11 December 2011|newspaper=Business Week magazine|date=23 January 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114052610/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_04/b3968055.htm|archive-date=14 November 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kine|first=Phelim|title=China's Internet Crackdown|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/05/27/china-internet-web-censor-surveillance-technology-security-google-yahoo-green-dam.html|access-date=11 December 2011|newspaper=Forbes|date=27 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118123703/http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/27/china-internet-web-censor-surveillance-technology-security-google-yahoo-green-dam.html|archive-date=18 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Alfred|first=Hermida|title=Behind China's internet Red Firewall|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2234154.stm|access-date=11 December 2011|newspaper=BBC|date=3 September 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624104558/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2234154.stm|archive-date=24 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2006, the pledge had been signed by more than 3,000 entities operating websites in China.<ref>{{cite book|last=Karatzogianni|first=Athina|title=The politics of cyberconflict|year=2006|publisher=Routledge Taylor & Francis|location=London|isbn=978-0-415-39684-4|page=135|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fiKPBQe3A8UC&pg=PA135|access-date=22 April 2020|archive-date=24 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824001631/https://books.google.com/books?id=fiKPBQe3A8UC&pg=PA135&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

Internet platforms like [[Sina Corporation|Sina]] and [[Tencent QQ|QQ]] are not authorized to broadcast news or conduct interviews.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Li |first=David Daokui |title=China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict |date=2024 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=978-0393292398 |location=New York, NY |author-link=David Daokui Li}}</ref>{{Rp|page=158}} In practice, such platforms do so with self-constraint, avoiding publicizing news which could run counter to the government.<ref name=":03" />{{Rp|page=158}}

===Use of service providers===
Although the government does not have the physical resources to monitor all Internet chat rooms and forums, the threat of being shut down has caused Internet content providers to employ internal staff, colloquially known as "[[big mama]]s", who stop and remove forum comments which may be politically sensitive. In [[Shenzhen]], these duties are partly taken over by a pair of police-created cartoon characters, [[Jingjing and Chacha]], who help extend the online "police presence" of the Shenzhen authorities. These cartoons spread across the nation in 2007 reminding Internet users that they are being watched and should avoid posting "sensitive" or "harmful" material on the Internet.<ref name="Harwit, Eric 2008"/>

However, Internet content providers have adopted some counter-strategies. One is to post politically sensitive stories and remove them only when the government complains. In the hours or days in which the story is available online, people read it, and by the time the story is taken down, the information is already public. One notable case in which this occurred was in response to a school explosion in 2001, when local officials tried to suppress the fact the explosion resulted from children illegally producing [[fireworks]].<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.people.com.cn/GB/shehui/20010310/413811.html |script-title= zh:万载爆炸事件：新闻大战功与过 |publisher= people.com.cn |date= 10 March 2001 |language= zh-cn |access-date= 22 April 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101111225951/http://www.people.com.cn/GB/shehui/20010310/413811.html |archive-date= 11 November 2010 |url-status= live }}</ref>

On 11 July 2003, the Chinese government [[ICP license|started granting licenses]] to businesses to open [[Internet cafe]] chains. Business analysts and foreign Internet operators regard the licenses as intended to clamp down on information deemed harmful to the Chinese government. In July 2007, the city of [[Xiamen]] announced it would ban anonymous online postings after text messages and online communications were used to rally protests against a proposed chemical plant in the city. Internet users will be required to provide proof of identity when posting messages on the more than 100,000 Web sites registered in Xiamen.<ref>{{Cite news|url= http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2007/07/07/chinese_city_bans_anonymous_web_postings/4057/|title= Chinese city bans anonymous web postings|access-date= 8 July 2007|date= 7 July 2007|publisher= United Press International|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070712092529/http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2007/07/07/chinese_city_bans_anonymous_web_postings/4057/|archive-date= 12 July 2007|url-status= live}}</ref>
The Chinese government issued new rules on 28 December 2012, requiring Internet users to provide their real names to service providers, while assigning Internet companies greater responsibility for deleting forbidden postings and reporting them to the authorities. The new regulations, issued by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, allow Internet users to continue to adopt pseudonyms for their online postings, but only if they first provide their real names to service providers, a measure that could chill some of the vibrant discourse on the country's Twitter-like microblogs. The authorities periodically detain and even jail Internet users for politically sensitive comments, such as calls for a multiparty democracy or accusations of impropriety by local officials.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/world/asia/china-toughens-restrictions-on-internet-use.html | work=The New York Times | first=Keith | last=Bradsher | title=China Toughens Restrictions on Internet Use | date=28 December 2012 | access-date=22 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220200151/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/world/asia/china-toughens-restrictions-on-internet-use.html | archive-date=20 December 2016 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Arrests===
Fines and short arrests are becoming an optional punishment to whoever spreads undesirable information through the different Internet formats, as this is seen as a risk to social stability.<ref>[http://www.nbcmontana.com/technology/29274549/detail.html Social Media To Curb 'Rumors' In China] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329113937/http://www.nbcmontana.com/technology/29274549/detail.html |date=29 March 2012 }} , by Jaime FlorCruz and Tian Shao, CNN, 22 September 2011</ref>

In 2001, [[Wang Xiaoning]] and other Chinese activists were arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for using a [[Yahoo!]] email account to post anonymous writing to an Internet mailing list.<ref>Cohn, William. "Yahoo's China Defense." New Presence: The Prague Journal of European Affairs September 2007: 10.2.</ref> On 23 July 2008, the family of Liu Shaokun was notified that he had been sentenced to one year [[re-education through labor]] for "inciting a disturbance". As a teacher in Sichuan province, he had taken photographs of collapsed schools and posted these photos online.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK105816 China Quake School Critic Receives One-Year Sentence-Group] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007152932/http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK105816 |date=7 October 2009 }} , Reuters, 30 July 2008</ref> On 18 July 2008, Huang Qi was formally arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing state secrets. Huang had spoken with the foreign press and posted information on his website about the plight of parents who had lost children in collapsed schools.<ref>[http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/63525 Case Update: Detained Rights Activist Huang Qi Formally Arrested] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015131222/http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/63525 |date=15 October 2008 }} , HRIC, 18 July 2008; Jake Hooker, [http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/11/asia/11china.php Voice seeking answers for parents about school collapse in China is silenced] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802011307/http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/11/asia/11china.php |date=2 August 2008 }} , International Herald Tribune, 11 July 2008; [http://hrichina.org/public/contents/56586 HRIC Press Release: Rights Activist Huang Qi Detained on Suspicion of Holding State Secrets] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108235114/http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/56586 |date=8 January 2009 }} , 16 June 2008</ref> Shi Tao, a Chinese journalist, used his Yahoo! email account to send a message to a U.S.-based pro-democracy website. In his email, he summarized a government order directing media organizations in China to downplay the upcoming 15th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Police arrested him in November 2004, charging him with "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities". In April 2005, he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment and two years' subsequent deprivation of his political rights.<ref>[http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/china-shi-tao Imprisoned for Peaceful Expression] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602231331/http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/china-shi-tao |date=2 June 2012 }} , Amnesty International</ref>

In mid-2013 police across China arrested hundreds of people accused of spreading false rumors online. The arrest targeted [[microbloggers]] who accused CCP officials of corruption, venality, and sexual escapades. The crackdown was intended to disrupt online networks of like-minded people whose ideas could challenge the authority of the CCP{{According to whom|date=August 2020}}. Some of China's most popular microbloggers{{Who|date=August 2020}} were arrested. In September 2013, China's highest court and prosecution office issued guidelines that define and outline penalties for publishing online rumors and slander. The rules give some protection to citizens who accuse officials of corruption, but a slanderous message forwarded more than 500 times or read more than 5,000 times could result in up to three years in prison.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/world/asia/china-cracks-down-on-online-opinion-makers.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&hp "China Mounts Vigorous Crackdown on Popular Online Opinion Makers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403083529/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/world/asia/china-cracks-down-on-online-opinion-makers.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&hp |date=3 April 2017 }} , Chris Buckley, ''New York Times'', 10 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.</ref>

In 2017, a Uyghur university student at [[Xinjiang University]], Mehmut Memtimin, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for using a VPN.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Masing |first=Kent |date=2023-06-09 |title=Uyghur Student Jailed For 13 Years For Using VPN; Chinese Citizens Get Away With It |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/uyghur-student-jailed-13-years-using-vpn-chinese-citizens-get-away-it-3698837 |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[International Business Times]] |language=en-US |archive-date=11 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711002045/https://www.ibtimes.com/uyghur-student-jailed-13-years-using-vpn-chinese-citizens-get-away-it-3698837 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2023 |title=Uyghur university student serving 13-year sentence for using VPN |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/student-sentenced-06082023154805.html |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[Radio Free Asia]] |language=en}}</ref>

According to the 2020 [[Press Freedom Index|World Press Freedom Index]], compiled by [[Reporters Without Borders]], China is the world's biggest jailer of journalists, holding around 100 in detention. In February 2020, China arrested two of its citizens for taking it upon themselves to cover the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://rsf.org/en/2020-world-press-freedom-index-entering-decisive-decade-journalism-exacerbated-coronavirus |title=2020 World Press Freedom Index: "Entering a decisive decade for journalism, exacerbated by coronavirus" |date=19 April 2020 |access-date=24 July 2020 |archive-date=27 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527115329/https://rsf.org/en/2020-world-press-freedom-index-entering-decisive-decade-journalism-exacerbated-coronavirus |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=August 2020}}

On 10 May 2021 blogger [[Ruan Xiaohuan]] was arrested by the [[Shanghai]] police.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Wang |first=Vivian |date=2023-07-05 |title=China Took Her Husband. She Was Left to Uncover His Secret Cause. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/05/world/asia/china-dissident-blog-program-think.html |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US |archive-date=21 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721020513/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/05/world/asia/china-dissident-blog-program-think.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He was convicted of "[[inciting subversion of state power]]" for his blog, ''ProgramThink'', which was critical of the regime.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gullo |first=Karen |date=2023-06-09 |title=China Must Release Program Think Blogger Ruan Xiaohuan, Champion of Free Expression Who Spoke Out Against Censorship and Oppression |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/china-must-release-program-think-blogger-ruan-xiaohuan-champion-free-expression |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |language=en |archive-date=15 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615102952/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/china-must-release-program-think-blogger-ruan-xiaohuan-champion-free-expression |url-status=live }}</ref> His wife, Bei Zhenying, was apparently warned by authorities against discussing the case.<ref name=":2" />