

Reverse-engineering censorship in China [pdf] - justincormack
http://gking.harvard.edu/files/gking/files/experiment_0.pdf

======
contingencies
<tldr> _We conducted the first large-scale experimental study of censorship by
creating accounts on numerous social media sites, randomly submitting
different texts, and observing from a worldwide network of computers which
texts were censored and which were not. We also supplemented interviews with
confidential sources by creating our own social media site, contracting with
Chinese firms to install the same censoring technologies as existing sites,
and—with their software, documentation, and even customer support—reverse-
engineering how it all works. Our results offer rigorous support for the
recent hypothesis that criticisms of the state, its leaders, and their
policies are published, whereas posts about real-world events with collective
action potential are censored._ </tldr>

In other words, much like the west. A recent quote I think puts this in to
context...

 _The preconditions of revolution exist in the UK, and most western countries.
The number of active pre-conditions is quite stunning, from elite isolation to
concentrated wealth to inadequate socialisation and education, to concentrated
land holdings to loss of authority to repression of new technologies
especially in relation to energy, to the atrophy of the public sector and
spread of corruption, to media dishonesty, to mass unemployment of young men
and on and on and on. [...] Preconditions are not the same as precipitants. We
are waiting for our Tunisian fruit seller. The public will endure great
repression, especially when most media outlets and schools are actively aiding
the repressive meme of 'you are helpless, this is the order of things.' When
we have a scandal so powerful that it cannot be ignored by the average Briton
or American, we will have a revolution that overturns the corrupt political
systems in both countries, and perhaps puts many banks out of business. Vaclav
Havel calls this 'The Power of the Powerless.' One spark, one massive fire._
\- Robert David Steele, ex-Marine, ex-CIA, Open Source Intelligence Expert in
_The Guardian_ , 2014-06-19

~~~
socceroos
Very informative comment. Thank you!

Can you provide a link to the article in question? I've done a bit of Googling
but am hitting false positives.

~~~
contingencies
[http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-
insight/2014/ju...](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-
insight/2014/jun/19/open-source-revolution-conquer-one-percent-cia-spy)

The quote is part of my fortune replacement @
[https://github.com/globalcitizen/taoup](https://github.com/globalcitizen/taoup)

