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For a long time I wondered why China was using censorship against outside information. I thought it was inefficient and probably useless, what they had to fear

For a long time I wondered why China was using censorship against outside information. I thought it was inefficient and probably useless, what they had to fear ? Then I discovered that "color revolutions" were not happening by chance and that it was a CIA "technology" to remove an unwanted leader from a target country. Now I understand why they use censorship. I still think they'd better educate their people (like the Russians seem to do) though. Whatever wall you build there will always be cracks.

guelo 12y ago
Are you sure the Russian education is not propaganda lies?
- jmnicolas 12y ago
  Propaganda is by definition a lie. I meant they were educating them about "color revolutions" and that it was certainly better than just censoring the ideas that bring color revolutions.
  - guelo 12y ago
    I do not know if the CIA was involved in the color revolutions but why would you trust what the Kremlin says? Do you believe the Kremlin has no interest in propaganda?
  - Crito 12y ago
    > "Propaganda is by definition a lie." Not even close to true. Propaganda can be lies. It can also be half-truths, carefully selected truths, or even full truths (should those truths put the organization issuing the propaganda in a good light). It can also be completely void of assertions (be they lies or truth) and contain nothing but emotional content. Humour is frequently used in modern propaganda. Funny internet videos that make fun of nations or their leaders, without actually making any sort of claim about them. Humour used as propaganda is particularly effective because anybody who argues against it will be told "Relax, it's just a joke. Stop taking it so seriously."
jarman 12y ago
>educate their people (like the Russians seem to do) Russian here and having hysterical fit now.
- wcummings 12y ago
  Parent probably thinks RT is free media
  - jmnicolas 12y ago
    RT is certainly more free than any US news channel ... and this for someone that remember the first cold war, this is really worrying.
    - borgia 12y ago
      Interestingly, from traveling and having limited TV options in certain places, I've had broad exposure to RT. Is it more free than any US news channel? No, I don't think so. The US mainstream media - Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc. - are most certainly not free by any means and spend the majority of their time peddling a toxic, divisive narrative. But RT? RT does the same, but for the Russian government. In fact, they go another step further and recruit westerners to present many anti-western shows to give their views more credibility here. They do report the news on the west that otherwise gets brushed over or doesn't adhere to the narrative being peddled by mainstream US TV, but to say they're more free is something I would doubt. While the US media spends its time dividing people and, for whatever reason, stoking the anti-Russian, anti-China and anti-NK flames the US government seem to want stoked at the moment, RT simply spends its time peddling an anti-Western narrative. Both are ultimately propaganda machines. RT is somewhat interesting because it does give a different view on situations that we in the west are dominated by the western narrative with. But when there's big, big money involved and close ties to government - as is the case with both the US mainstream media and RT - there is not much "freedom" involved.
leereeves 12y ago
Certainly the CIA supports some revolutions, but it's absurd to suggest that every revolution is a CIA plot.
- cousin_it 12y ago
  Grandparent wasn't suggesting that.
  - jmnicolas 12y ago
    It depends, I stand by the statement that every COLOR revolution is a CIA thing.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
Devid2014 12y ago
Russian TV is a great example of propaganda. Truths viewed from special angle plus subtle lies... The problem is that a lot of people still believe in everything that the see in the TV :(
- tormeh 12y ago
  Now just make the lies obvious and you have Fox News! Fascinating how a privately owned channel can be indistinguishable from propaganda in all respects except supporting its government. If the US annexed Crimea under a republican president, you can bet Fox would try to whitewash it.
- pilsetnieks 12y ago
  > subtle lies Not that subtle, e.g., http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32137302 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32137302
- jmnicolas 12y ago
  I never said they don't lie but that they educate their population about this "color revolution thing".
borgia 12y ago
>Then I discovered that "color revolutions" were not happening by chance and that it was a CIA "technology" to remove an unwanted leader from a target country. >Now I understand why they use censorship. You're being downvoted for this but I understand where you're coming from. The west has shown that it regularly targets other countries in terms of information warfare. We know, for example, that the CIA tried to instigate a coup last year through a Twitter like application[1]. We know JTRIG exists and what it exists for, etc. etc. The West exerting influence through information/misinformation distribution, the corruption of online narratives, etc. is most certainly a threat to foreign entities. I can understand why they would work to curb western influence in their countries and I don't blame them, and they use a very heavy-handed approach to deal with it. There's an information/misinformation/psyops war going on every day on the internet and some entities have chosen to deal with it by filtering out anything that could be part of it. Do I agree with them for doing so? Not really, I understand where they're coming from though. Do I think that they are actively fighting a threat? Yes, they quite likely are. Things aren't as black and white as they would like us to believe. [1]http://time.com/47912/u-s-officials-created-a-cuban-twitter-to-overthrow-castro-report/ http://time.com/47912/u-s-officials-created-a-cuban-twitter-...
- leereeves 12y ago
  It's no secret that the CIA (like many governments) engages in covert, propaganda, and information warfare against other nations. But Chinese censorship is far from limited to preventing foreign espionage. How is the CIA more than a distraction or an excuse?

guelo 12y ago

Are you sure the Russian education is not propaganda lies?

jmnicolas 12y ago
Propaganda is by definition a lie. I meant they were educating them about "color revolutions" and that it was certainly better than just censoring the ideas that bring color revolutions.
- guelo 12y ago
  I do not know if the CIA was involved in the color revolutions but why would you trust what the Kremlin says? Do you believe the Kremlin has no interest in propaganda?
- Crito 12y ago
  > "Propaganda is by definition a lie." Not even close to true. Propaganda can be lies. It can also be half-truths, carefully selected truths, or even full truths (should those truths put the organization issuing the propaganda in a good light). It can also be completely void of assertions (be they lies or truth) and contain nothing but emotional content. Humour is frequently used in modern propaganda. Funny internet videos that make fun of nations or their leaders, without actually making any sort of claim about them. Humour used as propaganda is particularly effective because anybody who argues against it will be told "Relax, it's just a joke. Stop taking it so seriously."

jarman 12y ago

>educate their people (like the Russians seem to do) Russian here and having hysterical fit now.

wcummings 12y ago
Parent probably thinks RT is free media
- jmnicolas 12y ago
  RT is certainly more free than any US news channel ... and this for someone that remember the first cold war, this is really worrying.
  - borgia 12y ago
    Interestingly, from traveling and having limited TV options in certain places, I've had broad exposure to RT. Is it more free than any US news channel? No, I don't think so. The US mainstream media - Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc. - are most certainly not free by any means and spend the majority of their time peddling a toxic, divisive narrative. But RT? RT does the same, but for the Russian government. In fact, they go another step further and recruit westerners to present many anti-western shows to give their views more credibility here. They do report the news on the west that otherwise gets brushed over or doesn't adhere to the narrative being peddled by mainstream US TV, but to say they're more free is something I would doubt. While the US media spends its time dividing people and, for whatever reason, stoking the anti-Russian, anti-China and anti-NK flames the US government seem to want stoked at the moment, RT simply spends its time peddling an anti-Western narrative. Both are ultimately propaganda machines. RT is somewhat interesting because it does give a different view on situations that we in the west are dominated by the western narrative with. But when there's big, big money involved and close ties to government - as is the case with both the US mainstream media and RT - there is not much "freedom" involved.

leereeves 12y ago

Certainly the CIA supports some revolutions, but it's absurd to suggest that every revolution is a CIA plot.

cousin_it 12y ago
Grandparent wasn't suggesting that.
- jmnicolas 12y ago
  It depends, I stand by the statement that every COLOR revolution is a CIA thing.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]

Devid2014 12y ago

Russian TV is a great example of propaganda. Truths viewed from special angle plus subtle lies... The problem is that a lot of people still believe in everything that the see in the TV :(

tormeh 12y ago
Now just make the lies obvious and you have Fox News! Fascinating how a privately owned channel can be indistinguishable from propaganda in all respects except supporting its government. If the US annexed Crimea under a republican president, you can bet Fox would try to whitewash it.
pilsetnieks 12y ago
> subtle lies Not that subtle, e.g., http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32137302 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32137302
jmnicolas 12y ago
I never said they don't lie but that they educate their population about this "color revolution thing".

borgia 12y ago

>Then I discovered that "color revolutions" were not happening by chance and that it was a CIA "technology" to remove an unwanted leader from a target country. >Now I understand why they use censorship. You're being downvoted for this but I understand where you're coming from. The west has shown that it regularly targets other countries in terms of information warfare. We know, for example, that the CIA tried to instigate a coup last year through a Twitter like application[1]. We know JTRIG exists and what it exists for, etc. etc. The West exerting influence through information/misinformation distribution, the corruption of online narratives, etc. is most certainly a threat to foreign entities. I can understand why they would work to curb western influence in their countries and I don't blame them, and they use a very heavy-handed approach to deal with it. There's an information/misinformation/psyops war going on every day on the internet and some entities have chosen to deal with it by filtering out anything that could be part of it. Do I agree with them for doing so? Not really, I understand where they're coming from though. Do I think that they are actively fighting a threat? Yes, they quite likely are. Things aren't as black and white as they would like us to believe. [1]http://time.com/47912/u-s-officials-created-a-cuban-twitter-to-overthrow-castro-report/ http://time.com/47912/u-s-officials-created-a-cuban-twitter-...

leereeves 12y ago
It's no secret that the CIA (like many governments) engages in covert, propaganda, and information warfare against other nations. But Chinese censorship is far from limited to preventing foreign espionage. How is the CIA more than a distraction or an excuse?