BONUS: For people who want to understand how Beijing accomplishes all of this at a technical level, we've included detailed—and delightfully illustrated!—explainers. Start here for a primer on how the internet works: shorturl.at/L3sBR

How does this happen? Well, sometimes it's just a simple mistake. The devices China uses to block domestic users' access to certain websites can also accidentally block foreign users' access—even if those users aren't in China.
15/21

Altogether, this system resembles not so much a "Great Firewall" as a massive water management system: a series of canals and locks that regulate how much flows, through which particular channels, and at what times—what we call "the Locknet."
11/21

Beijing builds censorship into every physical and digital component of the country's internet, throughout what computer scientists call "the stack." It hijacks normal internet functions and uses them to stop certain content from reaching its citizens.
8/21

A wall simply prevents some information from crossing the border. But this system represents a much more dynamic and multifaceted operation—and one far more fitting for the Party's sweeping censorship ambitions.
7/21

NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at locknet.chinafile.com
1/21

Showing the Dead a Good Time: A photo essay by Tomoko Kikuchi with an introductory essay by @iandenisjohnson.bsky.social in today's #FromtheChinaFiles:

www.chinafile.com/reporting-op...

Authorities often use the term "mass prevention and control" (群防群治) to discuss this concept. As in, "the masses" work to prevent and control low-level crimes or other unwanted behavior.
4/10

A huge thanks to our panelists and audience for a great event Monday night. Even with the heavy topic, we had a lot of fun.

"Photographer Billy HC Kwok roams Hong Kong, acutely attuned to the quieter changes reshaping his city."
 
www.chinafile.com/multimedia/p...