Despite the censorship, the Chinese blogosphere is blossoming, with probably somewhere between five and 10 million active blogs. The Chinese public has grown expert over the years at finding plenty of things to do and talk about while avoiding politically dangerous issues. Chinese bloggers are no different. New pop culture celebrities are emerging online, and people are creating their own radio and even TV shows.
Naturally, the Chinese companies that provide most of the tools used to create and host this content have censorship built into their software, management structure and business models. But most Chinese bloggers accept this as part of the reality of life in China. They are not willing to fight for greater freedom of speech and are even willing to censor each other in order to preserve what they have.
Which brings us back to China's greatest modern writer, Lu Xun. In 1921, he wrote a biting piece of social criticism, The True Story of Ah Q, about a hapless character who adjusts his values to whatever the circumstances and the people around him seem to demand.
Unfortunately, faced with a choice between protecting the long-term interests and human rights of their customers and complying with laws implemented by unelected powerholders, technology firms like Microsoft, Yahoo and Google seem to have embraced the Ah Q spirit. They have made it clear that when it comes to free expression, their priorities lie on the side of surrender.
In the long run, this does not bode well for their global reputations, which depend on users' trust in the openness and independence of their products and services. One day, perhaps, censorship will no longer make good business sense anywhere.
Rebecca MacKinnon, a former Beijing bureau chief for CNN, is a research fellow at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
Copyright: Project Syndicate
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