An economist claimed that the Chinese-led internet and the non-Chinese internet led by America are causing a global divide. He claimed that firewalls imposed in China have restricted Chinese users from accessing applications that are otherwise popular globally. The report added that the restrictions also caused tech companies to withdraw their investments into the country.
According to BBC News, economist and former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said in a private event that the fragmenting of the internet in China into different sub-internets with diverse regulations would cause a China-US divide. He claimed that the internet divide is already existing as the Chinese government continues to censor content within its territorial borders.
The report indicated that Chinese internet users cannot access popular sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Dropbox, and other social media sites causing a delay in the dissemination of information. A visitor in China Hyunjin claimed that China may be one of the biggest tech markets in the world but companies have been leaving its borders. She claimed that these companies could not fully operate within the country and are tightly restricted from freely sharing information online.
The censorship was also referred to as a bar to tech expansions in China although the country is one of the most attractive markets in the world. It was said that the size of the tech company was immaterial since the restrictions would apply to all those who find a way around the country's firewall systems.
Additionally, it was mentioned that Apple products and services may be available in China, but the company was said to have experienced challenges with its operations in the country. In 2017, the Apple brand was reprimanded by the Chinese government to remove the Skype and New York Times application from their App Store feature.
Senior China research analyst at Freedom House Sarah Cook said that the search terms in China yield different results when the user is operating elsewhere. She claimed that the restrictions are constantly changing and that the censorship of the Chinese government on internet usage is subject to their will. One example cited in the report was that Chinese-only Google banned some sites particularly those that purported to human rights violations and controversial laws. The firewall is otherwise known as Project Dragonfly, reported The Intercept.
According to an assistant professor of modern Chinese popular culture at the University of British Columbia Renren Yang claimed that censorship is subject to the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party. He claimed that it is a manifestation of an official narrative about the relationship of the nation with the state.
Cook then added that the restrictions have caused a divide because other countries might replicate the Chinese impositions causing a slowdown of the internet services during protests or rallies.
