China Is Exporting its Tiananmen Censorship, and We Are All Victims

Fear of that blacklist is an important tool employed by Beijing, along with intimidation, repression and the lure of the Chinese market, to stifle discussion both domestically and internationally about the deadly suppression of Tiananmen Square protests on June 4, 1989. As we mark the 26th anniversary, there are signs it is working.

Corporations solicitous of China’s growing economic clout also help export its censorship. In June of 2014, the social networking service LinkedIn began blocking Tiananmen-related articles posted inside China or by members hosted by its Chinese site. A company spokesman said the move was taken “to create value for our members in China and around the world.” The impact, he said, was “very, very small.” However, freedom of speech cannot be measured in degrees. Through its acquiescence, this company headquartered in California is acting as Beijing’s censor. LinkedIn is by no means the only tech company to bow to China. Skype’s Chinese version, a joint venture with a Hong Kong-company called TOM online, automatically intercepts texts including sensitive phrases like “Tiananmen Slaughter’ and ’89.” In 2012, a Chinese court sentenced poet Zhu Yufu to seven years in jail, after he sent a poem called ‘The Square’ using Skype. Beijing’s behavior has the unintended effect of making June Fourth topical. Its attempts to muzzle discussion of 1989 reflect both the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s moral vulnerability and its continuing reliance on brute force.