Great Firewall of China

Blend of Great Wall of China +‎ firewall.

the Great Firewall of China

1. (originally humorous, derogatory) 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, page 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, page 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, page 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.

• (abbreviation) GFW