"Google Boss Schmidt labels China an 'IT menace'"

In a recent BBC article, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt speaks about his new book, The New Digital Age, in which he calls China "the world's most active and enthusiastic filterer of information." This section in the book continues that, "the Chinese government manipulates the internet for political and economic gain."

After spending four months in China, articles relating to the Chinese government and the internet jump out at me. In the past month, Chinese citizens have been protesting in Beijing, demanding more internet freedom. Being a one-party system, the Chinese government has the ability to quell the protests quickly and block citizens in other provinces from ever knowing what happened. It does not, however, have the power to keep the rest of the world from finding out.

The BBC article continues by referencing the recent hacking attacks of China coverage against both the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. China's foreign ministry denies the accusations completely, but this does little to dissuade many from linking China to the hacking attacks.

For a government that tries so hard to to keep a consistent and controlled outward image, it's not hard to imagine that the Chinese government would attempt to alter the way which the world perceives it. One question that this article brings to my mind is how far the Chinese government is willing to go to keep up desired appearances? Perhaps it stems from centuries of seclusion or just national pride, but China's need to display ideal life is strong and growing.

BBC article