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Comment by knzhou | Hacker News Reader

Time to get a VPN if you want to communicate across the Great Firewall of America.

Curious about the downvotes. Do people believe that this curtailment of freedom can't happen in America? I know people already rushing to prepare for it.

Or perhaps they believe that it will happen, but that it's a good thing?

Or perhaps, as is increasingly common, they believe both simultaneously: "China's firewall restricts freedom; our copy of it promotes freedom."

> "China's firewall restricts freedom; our copy of it promotes freedom."

Sadly, I think there are a lot of people who would believe that.

spot on

Sort of the difference between a wall that keeps you in versus a wall that keeps unwelcome people out. But then again, some people believe that the us-mexico border wall is morally equivalent to the Berlin Wall, so who knows how that argument will go.

> Sort of the difference between a wall that keeps you in versus a wall that keeps unwelcome people out.

And how do you think the Chinese state describes the Chinese firewall?

I don't know, but it is clear that the Chinese firewall is about preventing Chinese people from accessing the wider internet, not about preventing non-chinese people from accessing the Chinese internet.

> the Chinese firewall is about preventing Chinese people from accessing the wider internet

It's not, really. Most of the "wider Internet" is accessible, only specific (mostly US or politically-oriented) properties are inaccessible. Very much like what is being planned in the US.

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