Internet censorship has control of China. http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2008/07/the_long_arm_of.html?campaign_id=rss_tech It seems there are few ways to surf the web in China without being spied on by the 50 Cent Party. “'They have been called the “Fifty Cent Party,” the “red vests” and the “red vanguard.” But China’s growing armies of Web commentators—instigated, trained and financed by party organizations—have just one mission: to safeguard the interests of the Communist Party by infiltrating and policing a rapidly growing Chinese Internet. They set out to neutralize undesirable public opinion by pushing pro-Party views through chat rooms and Web forums, reporting dangerous content to authorities."

It is almost impossible to be online in China without being monitored by the Communist government. The 50 Cent Party is paid "50 fen, or half a yuan [ about 7 U.S. cents]for every posting they put on the internet." The idea is to fill the internet with pro-communist postings, commentary, and websites to overwhelm any other opinions expressed on the web. Previously, the 50 Cent Party dominated blogs and video posts, but have recently infiltrated Twitters public commentary sites as well. China considers this a guided public opinion innovation--encouraging public opinion by spamming the internet with the opinions the Communist government wants to see.

This is a shadow of the potential for internet censorship. China has seriously squashed public opinions online, and in doing has paved the way for other internet censors. The internet was designed as a democratic space, where individuals had the power to be producers. Not in China, and the rest of the world should be watching so that the first, nearly global democratic enterprise, the internet, doesn't fall to the powerful controlling the public opinions of the world.