1、Mapping Chinese Netizenship: A Case Study of the Green Dam ProjectCourse: COMU7002Communication Project Course Coordinator: Dr Kitty Van VuurenSupervisor: Dr Rhonda BreitStudent Name: Jing WenStudent Number: 41610952AcknowledgementsFirstly, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my superviso
2、r, Dr Rhonda Breit, whose broad knowledge and logical thinking have been of great value for me. Her encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to the final stages enabled me to finish this project. Dr Breit gave me the confidence and support to begin my Masters project. She also challenged
3、 me to set my benchmark even higher and to look for solutions to problems rather than focus on the problems, which helped me learn to believe in my future, my work and myself.I would also like to gratefully acknowledge the encouragement and support from Dr Kitty Van Vuuren, who guided me through the
4、 process of learning and helped me immensely. Without her knowledge and assistance, this study would not have been accomplished. Lastly, I give my special thanks and regards to all of those who supported me in any respect during the completion of this project.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements2Acrony
5、ms4Abstract51.Introduction61.1 Background and rationale61.2 Statement of the problem71.3 Research Problems81.4 A summary of the methods used to address the problem81.5 The theoretical framework for the project81.6 Aim and objectives91.7 Ethical considerations91.8 Limitations of the study91.9 A brief
6、 outline of the chapters to come102.Literature Review102.1Key concepts and WSIS documentation analysis122.1.1Netizenship and The role of ICT in the Information Society142.1.2International approaches to internet governance162.2Stakeholder Consultation192.2.1 The role of Civil Society and NGOs in Info
7、rmation Society192.3Capacity building223.Research Methodology253.1Digital divide263.2Governance structures273.3Capacity building274.Results and Discussion284.1Digital divide294.2Governance structure324.3Capacity building365.Conclusion and Recommendations395.1 Changes in governance narrowing the digi
8、tal divide395.2Multi- stakeholder participation in bridging digital divide415.3Capacity building for eliminating digital divide415.4Suggestions for future study425.5Conclusion43Reference44Appendix49AcronymsCNNIC China Internet Network Information Centre1 GNI Gross National Income ICANN Internet Corp
9、oration for Assigned Names and Numbers ICT Information and Communication Technology IDN Interactive digital network IETF Internet engineering task force IGF Internet Governance Forum IS Information Society ITU International Telecommunication Union NGO Non-governmental Organisation UN United Nations
10、UNDP United Nations Development Programme WGIG Working Group on Internet Governance WSIS World Summit on the Information Society 1. Official abbreviation from the CNNIC website: AbstractThere is much evidence that Information Technology is recognised as a significant sector in the Information Societ
11、y (IS). With the further development of economic globalization, Information Technology continues to enable breakthroughs in numerous technical and scientific fields. It has become a strong driving force for socio-economic development, allowing human society to attain new historical highs at an unpre
12、cedented speed.Fostering the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of Information Technology, internet governance as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for development, are particularly important. As the centre of an Information Society, internet governa
13、nce and ICT for development ensure that everyone, everywhere should have the opportunity to participate and no one should be excluded from the benefits the Information Society offers (Geneva Declaration of Principles, 2003).The Green Dam Project case that occurred on 15 June 2009 challenged the stat
14、e of Chinese netizenship, going against the indicators of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). Poor levels of internet penetration suggest that China still needs to strive to prepare for transition to the IS.This paper looks at the extent to which China has moved towards IS objectives thr
15、ough analysis of WSIS documentation and stakeholder theories. It also aims at making recommendations on how China can enhance consultation processes to aid the implementation of IS objectives, by mapping the conditions of Chinese netizenship.Key words: WSIS; Stakeholder; Green Dam Project; Chinese N
16、etizenship 1. IntroductionWhen Information Technology plays a decisive role in human society, Information and Communication Technology for development, as well as Internet Governance, are crucial and indispensible. This is in order to develop and foster a clear statement of political will and take c
17、oncrete steps to establish the foundations for an IS for all, reflecting all the different interests at stake (WSIS, Geneva Declaration of Principles and Geneva Plan of Action).1.1 Background and rationaleThe IS is a concept that describes present-day structures, discourses and practices with a mean
18、ing of enshrining the promise of a better world (Carpertier, 2006). In 2001, the United Nations (UN) Assembly and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) decided to hold a two-phase WSIS: the first phase was held in Geneva in 2003 and the second took place in Tunis in 2005. The documentation pro
19、duced in these two phases guides all stakeholders to contribute to the establishment of an IS and maintain the sustainability of the Information Society. The effect of the WSIS is to create policy tools to overcome diversified societal divides. The multi-stakeholder approach is to foster a fair deci
20、sion-making process which allows different stakeholder involvement and the bridging of the digital divide. The WSIS proposed solutions to reach international agreement regarding Internet governance and ICTs for development.The Geneva phase of the WSIS focused on developing underlying principles for
21、the founding of a global Information Society. The Tunis phase paid more attention to implementation of these principles as well as follow-up mechanisms (Malcolm, 2008). Each phase resulted in the production of a pair of documents: Geneva Declaration of Principles and Geneva Plan of Action for the fi
22、rst phase and Tunis Commitment and Tunis Agenda for an Information Society for the second phase. The documents in each pair are integrally joined and complementary to each other. Both phases of WSIS emphasise the importance of Internet governance reform and ICTs for development. The Geneva Declarati
23、on of Principles and Geneva Plan of Action were to build up and promote a clear statement of political will, and take tangible steps to set up the foundations for an IS for all mankind that reflects all the different interests at stake (Basic Information: about WSIS, n.d.). The Tunis Commitment and
24、Tunis Agenda for an Information Society, built on the Geneva Plan of Action, help find solutions for reaching agreements in the fields of Internet governance and ICT for development (Basic Information: about WSIS, n.d.). The Tunis documents were to promote the implementation and development of the G
25、eneva documents, and presented a conclusion about Internet governance that helped reinforce the content of the Geneva documents. Additionally, they outlined subsequent steps to be taken(Malcolm, 2008).As the world prepares for the third phase of the WSIS in May this year, it is time to examine how f
26、ar individual countries have progressed in implementing the WSIS principles. According to statistics presented by Internet World Stats (Asia Internet Usage and Population, 2009), the status of Chinese netizenship is disconcerting: with a population of more than 1.3 billion, Chinese internet users nu
27、mber only 360,000,000, an internet penetration level of 26.9 percent. This suggests that the Chinese netizenship faces severe challenges and needs to strive in preparing for the transition to an Information Society.1.2 Statement of the problemOn 15 June 2009, the Chinese government announced that it
28、 was compulsory for all computer manufacturers to install a piece of software called Green Dam Youth Escort on all new computers to be sold in China. Officials said that this software was designed to filter out pornographic and violent content for the purposes of protecting children, yet some intern
29、et users discovered the software blocking normal pictures of babies, pigs and even the cartoon cat Garfield, tracking key words and colours, leading to some unusual effects such as sudden computer crashes. Free speech advocates in China argued that this software could be used by the government to bl
30、ock activist groups as well as anything the government considers to be an undesirable influence (Carpertier, 2006).1.3 Research Problems The Green Dam Project case arouses concern from various sections of society and raises the following questions: What is the current state of Chinese netizenship? W
31、hat China can do to narrow the digital divide? What is the governance structure of China? How could China broadly promote stakeholder relationships to meet WSIS indicators and achieve WSIS objectives? How should China build capacity to meet WSIS objectives?1.4 A summary of the methods used to addres
32、s the problemThis project is designed to develop a set of key IS indicators for mapping Chinese netizenship by reviewing, analysing and critiquing the WSIS documentation. It then seeks to map the state of Chinese netizenship and analyse Chinas capacity to meet WSIS indicators, using an in-depth exam
33、ination of the Green Dam Project case study. Finally, it describes the state of netizenship in China and makes recommendations on how to enhance stakeholder engagement in order to promote Chinese netizenship. 1.5 The theoretical framework for the projectThis project will use two theories to analyse
34、the Green Dam Project case: explanation of WSIS on IS development, and stakeholder engagement analysis, which is drawn from the literature from the field of participatory communication.1.6 Aim and objectivesThe key aim of this study is to make recommendations on how China can enhance the processes o
35、f consultation to aid the implementation of IS objectives. The project will achieve this aim by mapping the conditions of Chinese netizenship against WSIS indicators.In order to achieve this aim this study will need to meet the following objectives: Development of a set of key IS indicators by revie
36、wing, analysing and critiquing the WSIS documentation. Use of an in-depth examination of the Green Dams Project for mapping the state of Chinese netizenship and analyse Chinas capacity to meet WSIS indicators Reviewing of stakeholder consultation analysis to make recommendations on how China could p
37、romote stakeholder relationship broadly to improve consultation and implement WSIS objectives1.7 Ethical considerationsThis project report may involve certain sensitive issues related to the state of freedom of expression in China; however, it will not have the potential to harm anyone and it is ver
38、y necessary for mapping Chinese netizenship objectively.1.8 Limitations of the studyThe limitation of this project is that it will not be drawing on other theoretical frameworks and will focus on only one case study. It will use only two theories to analyse the case, and the data that the project wi
39、ll rely on is collected from journal articles, official surveys and other online sources. 1.9 A brief outline of the chapters to comeThis paper is organised as follows. The Literature Review part will introduce the concept of Netizenship and subsequently explain the role of technology. It will use t
40、he WSIS documentation and critiques from contemporary articles to describe the global trend of internet access, and develop some categories from WSIS to evaluate Chinese netizenship. The Methodology part will explain the methodologies this paper will employ to look at the extent to which China has m
41、oved towards IS objectives. Through relevant statistics, surveys and reports from the WSIS, ITU and China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) websites, the Results section will collect data to analyse Chinese netizenship based on categories identified in the Literature Review. In addition, i
42、t will include a case study of the Green Dam project to reflect a general idea of the state of Chinese netizenship. The subsequent Discussion part explicitly explains the state of Chinese netizenship, to see how Chinese netizenship conditions are against WSIS indicators. It explores how the governme
43、nt has failed to deliver on WSIS objectives with respect to the digital divide, internet governance and capacity building. It also includes the WSIS documentation in detail as well as other reports from CNNIC in order to analyse the capacity of China to meet WSIS indicators. The Conclusion and Recom
44、mendations part summarises the main findings of the whole project and makes recommendations on how China can enhance the processes of consultation to aid implementation of IS objectives.2. Literature ReviewThis chapter explains the role of technology and the importance of governance in promoting the
45、 IS vision. It then critiques the WSIS from the stakeholder angle and analyses capacity building. The WSIS creates policy tools to overcome digital divides and found a global Information Society. The previous section identified the role of the WSIS in outlining a vision for IS Development. Central t
46、o this vision is fostering information access, promoting effective and transparent Internet governance, and building capacity. The aim of the WSIS is to create a global Information Society (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2007). The IS is a multi-level society, integrated with complex communication networks, in which the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity (Informatio