Hong Kong, a special territory of communist China, is now in turmoil and 2017 elections approach pro- democratic citizens use the Internet for their political views known
Pro-democracy Hong Kong citizens have propagated their ideals through social media, but at a price -. their government is watching closely. China insists that his people have "complete freedom of the internet," but is that really the case?
China's claims are not true according to the BBC, however. Recently, China has blocked access of its citizens to the English language version of the BBC website. The blocking came after the BBC aired a few unsavory video images of the Hong Kong police, beating pro-democracy protesters during a demonstration.
Apparently, the Hong Kong police are trying to keep the pro-democracy demonstrators under their thumb. This includes not only physical intervention, but the intense cyber-surveillance.
"Every word you write, I'll be watching"
Two men were recently arrested by Hong Kong police for the content of their pro-democracy messages online. The two men allegedly posted the rhetoric that was "threatening and intimidating" the authorities, although the precise details of what they have written are not available at the time. According to reports, the police are also keeping an eye on posters that "chattering" about holding the national airport of Hong Kong.
These reports call to mind the popular song by the British singer Sting, "Every Breath You Take. "In the song, Sting takes the character of a man who obsessively stalking her lover. Every breath she takes, every move she makes, Sting promises he will watch it. Although catchy, many would also describe the song like After all, most people do not relish the thought of being harassed
for those who support privacy as a human right "scary.". - When the harasser is big government and threats include fines, imprisonment and brutal force. - harassment becomes downright unacceptable and that is precisely what some Hong Kong citizens, including legislative Charles Mok, are :. Opposition to the infringement on their right to self -expression
Each flip side, though. Steve Hui, a prominent member of the Hong Kong police force, takes a different view. Hui claims that all Hong Kong citizens are bound certain laws and that the rebels messages online are "extremely irresponsible" and must be "firmly condemned".
all boils down to an age-old question. Namely, how much freedom of expression should we have? Although this time, the question is wrapped in a high-tech package. The Internet is still a relatively new phenomenon; so new, in fact, that many governments have not understood how they will handle yet.
Freedom of expression is one of the most expensive states "freedoms". Even in America, there is a constant struggle to keep this freedom on the table. For example, consider the challenge to freedom of speech by Ann Ravel, president of the California federal election will restrain US political bloggers and others to say what they mean online.
Internet Freedom is threatened, even in America
Californians mocked Ravel in 2012 when it tried to regulate political speech on the Internet. At that time, Ravel acted as president of a state agency called the Fair Practices Commission in California policies. Ravel now holds a prestigious position with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in Washington. Last month, she vowed to continue his fight for control of the Americans print on political blogs.
The purpose of the Chair may seem "un-American" at first, but its concerns are not totally unfounded. "The black money" is a euphemism for the money that is secretly exchanged between persons or parties to help influence an election, and Ravel believes that dark-money practices are flourishing in the political blogosphere. A recent editorial in the New York Times even suggested that these illegal payments have influenced the outcome of the US Senate in November 2014 election.
It is fair to say that, while most people in America want to keep their freedom of speech, maintaining that freedom could have harmful effects, such as hiding secret payments and other underhanded practices that result in unfair elections. This poses a dilemma, to be sure.
What this means for Hong Kong and beyond
If a country like the United States is fighting to preserve the rights of the Internet, what it means for citizens other areas of the world who live under an iron fist, (probably) as Hong Kong people?
According to research, things are getting worse, not better. A "Freedom on the Net" report published in 2013 details the many ways Internet freedom has deteriorated around the world The report takes three factors into account:. The number of user rights have been violated, what types of obstacles to Internet use exist, and what kind of limits are placed on online content in a given area
Who exactly needs. we be afraid? the enemies of the Internet report 2014 attempts to identify the entities that block the freedom of the Internet. the private sectors that employ surveillance technology, governments that censor the name of national security, and Internet service providers who take a police-oriented role and all landed a spot on this list in 2014 of the authors of Internet censorship.
Hong Kong, and China in general is not well regarding the maintenance of freedom of the Internet to citizens, especially when compared to democratic countries like the US While the Chinese government insists that its citizens have free access to the Internet, critics note that this doesn 't reflect the truth . At least it is not the truth if you set the "freedom" of how Merriam-Webster fact, that is the "lack of restraint".
Despite their differences, the world leaders who belong to the United Nations managed to agree on a list of fundamental rights that all citizens are entitled. Included in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the inherent right to freedom of opinion and expression that can be expressed through any media. China has been a UN member since 1945, but at that moment, it seems that Article 19 is not on the radar of the Chinese government.
Regarding the situation in Hong Kong, many expect the clash between pro and groups -democracy authorities to strengthen the 2017 election nears.
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