BRIAN CANAVE WRITES – Will Taiwan follow suit in building its own version of China’s unique Internet censorship policy known as the “Great Firewall”?
China is infamous for its Internet services blocking international websites. For Taiwan, the country’s Intellectual Property Office says for now it will only target international websites notorious for file-sharing and other activities violating digital content rights.
Though it is not officially adopting a policy similar to China’s, Taiwan still censors the Internet, despite opposition by several groups. Wikimedia Taiwan voiced strong opposition toward the nation’s plan to block overseas Internet services that infringe on copyright.
Wikimedia Taiwan is recognized by the Wikimedia Foundation as its local chapter in Taiwan. If the IPO insists on going with the plan, Wikimedia Taiwan plans to stage protests and to work in tandem with Wikimedia Foundation to fight the restrictions. The Foundation is known for shutting down their popular Wiki websites for one day to protest a similar bill in the United States, the Stop Online Piracy Act.
For now, netizens of Taiwan can only wait anxiously and keep faith that their Internet browsing will remain free.
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