Abstract

Once little more than a glorified porn filter, China’s ‘Great Firewall’ has evolved into the most sophisticated system of online censorship in the world. As the Chinese internet grows and online businesses thrive, speech is controlled, dissent quashed, and attempts to organise outside the official Communist Party are quickly stamped out. But the effects of the Great Firewall are not confined to China itself.

Through years of investigation James Griffiths gained unprecedented access to the Great Firewall and the politicians, tech leaders, dissidents and hackers whose lives revolve around it. As distortion, post-truth and fake news become old news James Griffiths shows just how far the Great Firewall has spread. Now is the time for a radical new vision of online liberty.

James Griffiths is a reporter and producer for CNN International, currently based in Hong Kong. He has reported from Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Australia for outlets including the Atlantic, Vice and the Daily Beast. He was previously a reporter and assistant editor at the South China Morning Post, where he played a key role in the paper’s award winning coverage of the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests in Hong Kong.

'A timely look at the world’s most sophisticated censorship system. Griffiths explains a technical subject — Beijing’s internet controls — through the lens of Chinese politics and the logic of social movements.'
Financial Times

'A useful but alarming account. James Griffiths traces the development of Chinese cyberauthoritarianism and censorship from the 1990s to the present.'
Wall Street Journal
'The Great Firewall of China is a riveting read, revealing the questionable acts of states and corporations as they vie to shape the internet to their own ends. And Griffiths has an eye for the detail that brings anecdotes to life. Many of his stories show how offline and online lives merge in bizarre ways.'
New Scientist

‘Griffiths has an eye for character and writes with impartial rigour. He effectively details how China built its alternative internet.’
New Statesman

'Engaging storytelling and careful research ... authoritative and compelling. It is a cautionary tale for us all.'
Science Magazine

'A readable, well-documented history of the internet in China ... Griffiths writes in a fluent, storytelling style.'
Asian Review of Books
‘The definitive guide to the development of the internet in China. Griffiths' book is also an urgent and much needed reminder about how China's quest for cyber sovereignty is undermining global Internet freedom.’
Kristie Lu Stout, host of CNN’s News Stream and On China
‘Readers will come away startled at just how fragile the online infrastructure we all depend on is and how much influence China wields – both technically and politically.'
Jason Q. Ng, author of Blocked on Weibo
‘Griffiths has written an important and incisive history of the Chinese internet that introduces us to the government officials, business leaders, and technology activists struggling over access to information within the Great Firewall.’
Adam M. Segal, author of The Hacked World Order
‘A gripping and illuminating account of how the Chinese state fell in and out of love with the internet – and what it means for China and for the rest of the world.’
Jonathan Sullivan, Director of the China Policy Institute
‘Griffiths’ vivid and compelling account untangles the complex evolution of China’s internet controls, providing both valuable context for recent events and a solid foundation for understanding future developments.’
Samuel Wade, Deputy Editor, China Digital Times
‘A savvy journalist with a keen eye for the telling anecdote and an interest in big questions, Griffiths skilfully traces China’s efforts to control the internet. He also makes important moves beyond China's borders to highlight the global implications.’
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, co-author of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know
‘Exhaustively researched and wonderfully written, the book moves effortlessly between gripping narratives from the frontlines of digital struggle to trenchant analysis of the formation and evolution of China’s Great Firewall.’
Eli Friedman, Cornell University