A lot of people have compared the Internet censorship bills SOPA and PIPA with the Great Firewall of China, but how are the recent anti-SOPA protests viewed by those most affected by Internet censorship?
Beijing-based Evan Osnos wrote about how the Chinese people view SOPA:
In China, the reaction to American protests has ranged from sympathy to gentle Schadenfreude, as Chinese Web users try to sort out whether they are being held up as victims or patsies or pirates.
After several years in which American diplomats have inveighed against Internet censorship in China, the proposals have inspired a bit of snickering. “The Great Firewall turns out to be a visionary product; the American government is trying to copy us,” one commentator wrote.
A Chinese message making the rounds on Thursday said: “At last, the planet is becoming unified: We are ahead of the whole world, and the ‘American imperialists’ are racing to catch up.”
Ah, and in case you were wondering, yes, SOPA was animated by the Taiwanese a while ago.