Tuesday, May 20, 2008

10 Ways the Chinese Internet is different from Rest of the World


1. Its slower
Thanks to the Great Firewall, accessing the internet especially websites residing outside China can be a real pain.
2. Its monitored
The Chinese authorities monitor all trafffic going in and out of China.

3. Access to foreign Web sites is limited
The Chinese government uses four mechanisms -- DNS blocking, reset commands, URL keyword blocking and content scanning to prevent Internet users in the country from reaching blacklisted Web sites or content.

4. Blackouts are common
If the Chinese government finds that a user has downloaded forbidden content, it breaks the connection and prohibits the user from establishing communications with the site. These blackouts can last anywhere from two minutes to an hour.

5. Its censored
The authority employs thousand of people to go through content and censor whatever they find sensitive.

6. There's less porn
The Chinese government justifies its Internet monitoring efforts by telling the public that it is keeping online information "wholesome" and free of threats such as sexual predators. Online pornography is not as pervasive in China, and users are less likely to stumble upon it.
7. It's safer
Malicious activity including phishing scams, bots and zombies is less common in China than in the United States. China represented 7% of the Internet's malicious activity, while the United States represented 31% during the second half of 2007. One rationale for the Chinese Internet monitoring system is to keep hackers at bay.

8. There's less spam
China produces 4% of the world's spam, while the United States is the origin for 42% of all unsolicited e-mail. China decreased its spam volume by 131% in the second half of 2007, largely by reducing the number of bot-infested computers.

9. It's based on IPv6
The China Next Generation Internet is an IPv6 backbone that the Chinese government is using as a testbed to develop IPv6 services, including distance learning and telemedicine. IPv6 is an upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol that features enough IP addresses for the Chinese population.

10. Its growing faster
The Chinese domain .cn are growing much faster than any domain in the world. Dot cn grew by 399% than the 24% year on year for .com and .net.
Source : NetworkWorld

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great post Alvin on the contrast of the Chinese internet. I've incorporated your observations against my own comments on it at www.mobilepointview.com. Good stuff! TOTH to you.