Comparing the Regulation of the Internet in Communist Countries

The internet and the public space created by it is one of the most amazing phenomenons of the past century. The ability of people around the world to use the internet has been the greatest catalyst for the rapid spread of globalization over the past decade. The development of the internet has given people around the world the ability to have a public space to do as they please. It is the ultimate meaning of 'free media' as people can read the thoughts and opinions of people from all around the world. The internet is not governed at all in most places, and poorly governed in other places. Many people believe that it is impossible to govern the internet, but communist states and governments around the world would beg to differ.

Communist countries have fought long and hard throughout the years to control various forms of media. A nineteenth-century Cuban poet named Jose Marti states, "Only oppression should fear the full exercise of freedom (Williamson)." A debate surely exists on whether communist countries are oppressing citizens in their attempts to control media. That is not to be debated in this paper, but the internet has provided a challenge to communist countries around the world. Suddenly people might gain access to any information around the world, and be able to publish their own ideas and thoughts while staying completely anonymous. It is a threat that could seriously threaten the power of many communist states. A Chinese professor from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences describes this power struggle, "Mao Zedong said that to have power you need two things: the gun and the pen...The Communist Party has the gun, but the Internet is now the pen. If they lose control of it, something will happen to challenge their authority (Neumann)."