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johnw · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 4

does anyone know how closely chinese ISPs monitor internet use now, if at all? should i bother using proxy servers to maintain my privacy? i'd rather not just because it's a chore to have to switch to new servers all the time. i don't think i visit any sites that could be considered out of bounds, but i am very uncomfortable with the idea that a detailed record of my browsing habits could be available- newspapers i read, email accounts i access, etc -should i ever attract the attention of the police for whatever reason.

i understand what is prohibited- political content, pornography, etc...but i am wondering if it is even enforced nowadays. i know the ISPs used to be required to keep 60-day records on every IP address...but maybe no one pays any attention to those records unless you happen to be a political agitator? or maybe they don't even keep records like that anymore??

anyway, i just don't know. it'd be great if someone had something more definitive.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Anecdotal evidence suggests that we are being monitored! Currently, the control is relatively relaxed - but it can switch to high-security mode any time!

gerard · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 581 Location: Internet Cafe

Hello---I havent been here too long but I see no issues...everything I try I get all I can think of is geo but I dont really like that anyway...I like Chomsky and when I got here wondered if I could get z-net. Then I thought about it geez there is more chance of znet being blocked in the USA than here---not to start a battle but see the post on-dixie chicks...He was banned by the NY Times after all. Anyway no issues that I can see.

johnw · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 4

thanks gerard but the issue isn't one of sites being blocked. i want to stress that so people are not lured into a false sense of security.
their site-blocking is a very sporadic thing. as of now none of the infamous blocking, like of the BBC, seems to be in place (altho actually i just tried amnesty intl. the other day and it does still appear to be blocked.)
what i am more concerned about, and maybe you want to be as well, is that it is very easy for someone to keep a record of, and even monitor in real-time, the sites that you visit. as of a few years beijing was requiring ISPs to keep a record of each IP address' activity for a considerable period of time- i think 60 days.
as i said before, you may not feel you are visiting any sites that could be considered off-limits by the authorities, but just imagine for a minute if, some time from now, you are involved in some sort of legal matter say you are getting married here or you have a lawsuit out against a school you worked for. and then all of a sudden in court a detailed record of your internet activity is produced. or even not in court...just imagine sitting there with the police and them asking you annoying and tedious questions about why you visit 'thenewyorktimes.com' so often, and just what is this 'daveseslfcafe'?
i'm really not trying to make everyone paranoid or anything...but we should all be aware that it is far easier now to blanketly monitor internet connections than it ever was to tap phones or whatever.

gerard · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 581 Location: Internet Cafe

Yes that is interesting and maybe alarming. I would not wish to explain some of the topics I have found here on search engines. Or some of what I have downloaded.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Last year, someone pointed out that Internet bars have to reserve one computer per so-and-so many (maybe 24) computers for the police to do their monitoring.
Internet bar operators have to accept responsability for the posts that originate from their places, so many of them equip their computers with filters and firewalls.
ANd, on my home computer I often have trouble accessing certain websites. Interestingly, while I cannot read BBC news I can often read the same news in French or German as websites in English seem to be easier for them to monitor!
What's annoying is that on occasion my hotmail account is inaccessible for half a day!

pistonear · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 23

Hey John,
why not try a satelite phone. I think you can get worldwide coverage plus internet. Question

noyb · Joined: 22 Feb 2003 Posts: 93

Why not use a proxy server? It's hard for them to monitor that and also allows you to evade the blocking of certain sites.

If you're worried about your e-mail being intercepted, you could use encryption.

pistonear · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 23

Well what do you suggest?

noyb · Joined: 22 Feb 2003 Posts: 93

You could use PGP. It encorporates well with major e-mail clients. So does S/MIME, but it is a little more difficult to find a good S/MIME client.

Heck, you can even use some of the text encryption products on the market (usually freeware), but they don't usually tie in with your e-mail client so that means you have a few extra steps to take in the encryption process.