HONG KONG—Online writers and activists in China are calling on the government to extend protection to the country's 300 million netizens as they seek out and pass on information detailing growing curbs, rules, and surveillance used on anyone using the Internet.
One document, published online last week and titled "Internet Human Rights Declaration," was signed by 15 prominent intellectuals, writers, and civil rights activists.
It called on the Chinese government to loosen controls requiring real-name identification of Web users, and to end a sophisticated system of online filters.
"We believe it is a citizen’s responsibility to be concerned about public affairs, and a netizen’s responsibility to care about freedom of speech on the Internet," said the declaration, published on a blog devoted to China's Internet controls, collectively known as the "Great Firewall."
Shortly after the declaration, which called for "Internet Human Rights Day" to be celebrated annually on Oct. 10, a 30-page report was published on a civil-rights Web site detailing a series of recent checks and controls on anyone trying to "scale the Wall."
Curbs remain
Qiu Feng, editor of the China Rights Defenders Web site, which published the report, said controls set up ahead of the Oct. 1 60th anniversary celebrations of Communist rule now look set to remain in place.
"They were saying that [all the controls were] because of National Day, but now National Day is over, and it seems to me that there has been no relaxation of control on certain print and online media," Qiu said.
"Some of the major Web sites have been under tight control ever since the National Day holidays. They have been running very 'harmonious' headlines every day since," he added.
Other online writers said they believe the report is an accurate picture of a growing crackdown on freedom of speech on the Internet.
"This report is very well written, and it contains a lot of concrete examples, including news dossiers and indicators of government departments controlling public opinion," Guangdong-based Internet writer and Independent Chinese PEN member Ye Du said.
"The examples are very clear, and you can see that the authors have a broad grasp of the actual situation."
Constitutional right
Meanwhile, in the English version of the Internet Human Rights Declaration, translated by blogger C.A. Yeung and modified by Global Voices founder Rebecca MacKinnon, the signatories called for Web users to be given back their Constitutional right to free speech online.
"Netizens’ right to publish should not be subjected to unlawful investigation and interference," it said.
"The free flow of information should be respected and protected as long as it is conducted in line with legal and constitutional requirements."
"Web site monitoring, filtering, and blockades that go against the principle of freedom of speech should be condemned by public opinion."
"Netizens are entitled to seek freedom of expression and justice through judicial proceedings."
China has detained dozens of bloggers and online authors in recent months.
Authorities around the country subjected dozens more to temporary house arrest and police interviews ahead of the sensitive 60th anniversary of Communist Party rule on Oct. 1.
Real names
The declaration also calls for an end to the "real-name" registration campaign, which is making anonymous Internet access more and more difficult through controls on Internet cafes and online service providers.
"Netizens’ real identities and personal information should not be disclosed unless the information is required for a transparent legal proceeding," it said, adding that netizens should have the right to conduct interviews and report their findings through blogs, video-sharing, social media, and fora.
"Anonymity enables some authors to express their opinions in ways that best suit their needs," it said.
"This legal right should be respected as long as an anonymous author is expressing his views in accordance with legal and constitutional requirements."
But it called on netizens who exercise this right to report the truth, and to avoid "distortions, fabrications, and malicious slander."
"It is the right of netizens to make comments and to exchange opinions. This includes the right to ask questions, to monitor, to criticize, and to boycott," it said.
China recently succeeded in undermining key software used by its netizens to climb over the Great Firewall, a sophisticated system of government-backed blocks and filters designed to limit what people can view online.
Developers of circumvention tools have warned that China's Web censorship is entering a new phase of technological capability, boosting human and material resources into a countrywide upgrade of surveillance methods.
Original reporting in Mandarin by Xin Yu. Mandarin service director: Jennifer Chou. Translated and written for the Web in English by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.