By FAYTHE REEVES, Staff Reporter |
According to a national survey by Rasmussen Reports in 2017, 73 percent of Americans believed freedom of speech was worth dying for.
Not all countries have the same fervor for this freedom as we do, but that doesn’t affect other people across the globe. Right? Wrong.
Chinese censorship has “protected the image of its government” or censored images and ideas from Winnie the Pooh to river crabs in an attempt to silence any who mock the Chinese president.
Up until now, this issue impacted China alone but now it is reaching other countries. With the removal of the Taiwanese horror game “Devotion,” Chinese censorship has managed to tarnish the reputation of the company, Red Candle Games.
After the discovery of a poster mocking the Chinese president, Red Candle Games eventually had to remove the game from Steam and issue a formal apology.
By the time the apology was made, the review bombing had caused numerous negative ratings. Now, no one can buy the game, despite the offense being merely an accident.
People and companies alike should not have to fear the wrath of the Chinese government, and measures need to be taken in order to protect them. Companies should be free from the impact of censorship like this.
While this may seem like an isolated incident for now, this censorship is just a window into a larger issue. Chinese censorship, as of 2016, was officially classified as a barrier to trade by the U.S. government. Companies that bear no ill will toward the Chinese government should not be punished for a mistake.
Americans can aid and fund people who refer to themselves as “hacktivists” who work to beat the “Great Firewall of China.”
By refusing to comply with laws that harm non-Chinese businesses and supporting groups fighting to end censorship, Americans can do their part to protect companies from being silenced.
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