Communications of the ACM
Chinese Think Tank Accuses .S., Other Western Countries of sing Facebook to Sow nrest
A Chinese government-backed think tank has accused the U.S. and other Western governments of using social-networking sites such as Facebook to spur political unrest and called for stepped-up scrutiny of the wildly popular sites.
As China's online population—the world's largest—surges past the 400 million mark, its Communist government is growing increasingly sensitive to any online threats to its authority. Although Beijing operates an extensive system of monitoring and censorship to block material deemed subversive, the Internet is still the most open and lively forum for discussion in a society where traditional media are controlled by the state.
Twitter, for instance, has emerged as a gathering place for dissidents and other politically minded Chinese wanting to voice their complaints and share information. Though the government routinely bans sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, technologically savvy users can easily jump China's "Great Firewall" with proxy servers or other alternatives.
From Associated Press
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