Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Warns Government on Web Censorship Plans

China’s efforts to stifle dissent by controlling what people say online are doomed to fail, a renowned Chinese artist has said.

The warning was issued by Ai Weiwei in an article written for the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

China has recently introduced rules that seek to ensure that when people go online they use their real names.

Mr Ai said although the rules might delay the day government censorship failed, there was no doubt it would.

“In the long run, they (the government) must understand it’s not possible for them to control the internet unless they shut it off – and they can’t live with the consequences of that,” he wrote.

The rise of blogs, social media and electronic communication had given rise to new sense of freedom among Chinese people, he said.

The government may still put out news via officially backed channels, said Mr Ai, but the net meant that people did not just have to accept this view of the world.

Continue reading at BBC News.

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