English

Proper noun

Great Firewall of China

1. (originally humorous, pejorative) Government censorship of the Internet in the People's Republic of China.
   • 1997: A. Michael Froomkin, "Jurisdiction in Cyberspace: The Role of Intermediaries", in Borders in Cyberspace: Information Policy and the Global Information Infrastructure, p. 146

     Behind this hypothetical Great Firewall of China, most users would be allowed to exchange information with foreign sites if they were on the approved list

   • 2001: Greg Walton, China's Golden Shield: Corporations and the Development of Surveillance Technology in the People's Republic of China, p. 5

     The "Great Firewall of China" is failing, largely due to the increased volume of Internet traffic in China.

   • 2007: Dinah PoKempner, "A Shrinking Realm: Freedom of Expression Since 9/11", in Human Rights Watch World Report 2007, p. 76

     The Great Firewall of China is a case of corporate collaboration in censorship.

   • 2015 March 31, Goodin, Dan, “Massive denial-of-service attack on GitHub tied to Chinese government”, in Ars Technica, retrieved 2015-04-01:

     The targets suggest the attackers are sympathetic to the vast censorship apparatus known as the Great Firewall of China.

Synonyms

• (abbreviation) GFW