Reverse-engineering censorship in China: Randomized experimentation and participant observation

Citation:

Gary King, Jennifer Pan, and Margaret E. Roberts. 2014. “Reverse-engineering censorship in China: Randomized experimentation and participant observation.” Science, 345, 6199, Pp. 1-10. Publisher's Version Copy at https://tinyurl.com/y5damx96
Article1.86 MB
Supplementary materials2.63 MB
Article Summary179 KB
Reverse-engineering censorship in China: Randomized experimentation and participant observation

Abstract:

Existing research on the extensive Chinese censorship organization uses observational methods with well-known limitations. We conducted the first large-scale experimental study of censorship by creating accounts on numerous social media sites, randomly submitting different texts, and observing from a worldwide network of computers which texts were censored and which were not. We also supplemented interviews with confidential sources by creating our own social media site, contracting with Chinese firms to install the same censoring technologies as existing sites, and—with their software, documentation, and even customer support—reverse-engineering how it all works. Our results offer rigorous support for the recent hypothesis that criticisms of the state, its leaders, and their policies are published, whereas posts about real-world events with collective action potential are censored.

Notes:

This work follows up on an article in the American Political Science Review on “How Censorship In China Allows Government Criticism But Silences Collective Expression.”

Science Magazine published a news story about this article, and their weekly Podcast led with an interview summarizing this work.

Last updated on 02/27/2018