We tend to forget the privilege that is Freedom of Speech. Countries like China, who are ruled by an oppressive one-party regime, face daily instances of censorship – especially on their social media sites.

Sites like  Sina Weibo, which is very similar to Twitter, have in-built censorship tools that hide a “dangerous” message before it can be seen. And if it gets past the censorship bots, there are people behind desks that look out for any post that challenges what the government likes to call a “harmonious society.”

This has, of course, prompted hackers and activists (hacktivists?) to try to break down security firewalls to see what China thinks the world shouldn’t see. It’s been a bit of a challenge so far, but one site has managed to break in.

ProPublica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that focuses on investigative journalism, has launched an interactive feature that focuses on what kind of images get censored on Sina Weibo. Because it’s hard to read the subtle subversive messages that pictures hold, they often slip through the cracks – and that’s what ProPublica can pick up.

Basically, if you disrespect the government in any way,or make reference to the tanks that killed so many at Tienanmen Square – your photo or post will be censored.

Also, if your post contains photos and names of Chinese dissidents, images of rubber ducks (which make reference to the Tienanmen tanks), any mention of Tibetan protests or political cartoons – you might as well not bother posting it.

We highly recommend giving that interactive feature a try – it gives you a bit of an idea of just how oppressed the Chinese are right now.

[Source : The Next Web, ProPublica]