Time to go back to Shortwave?

As I mentioned Thursday, new technologies like the Internet seem to be making censorship easier, not more difficult. Maybe it is time to reconsider all of the budget cuts in shortwave radio technologies....though, how many Chinese youth own a radio?

The Internet crackdown has been described by analysts as another step in the Communist Party's battle to stifle dissent in a year of sensitive anniversaries, including the 20th anniversary of the crackdown on the pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests.

"The Internet remains where the battle for information lies and the fact that the government is devoting so much effort at reining it in, in itself indicates how much of a threat they perceive it to be," said Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch.

China polices the Internet intensely, quickly removing any content deemed subversive or overly critical of the Party.

The government has closed over 1,200 websites, including a popular blog site, but with an estimated 3,000 new sites appearing daily, the battle to maintain control of the online world is never-ending.