Does China monitor the mail?

[Allan]

Does anyone know what the likelihood is that e-mail and snail mail are opened and monitored prior to reaching the intended person?  Since China has a communist government, it doesn't seem far-fetched that government officials would like to know what is contained in mail that their citizens are receiving from overseas.  Also, do people in China have the same access to the worldwide web that we do, or is it restricted by the government?  For instance, could the average person in Beijing or Shanghai reach this website as well as any others if they wanted to?  Any input would be appreciated, as I would like to know before becoming involved in heavy correspondence.

[Tim]

... in response to Does China monitor the mail?, posted by Allan on Jan 8, 2002

My friends with wives/fiancee's in China have reported no incidents of email monitoring. This would require a huge manpower effort that is unfeasible, and the delay between sender and reciever would be noticeable. Some of my friends even use real-time webcams to chat/talk/see their loved ones inside mainland China.

Be warned that sometimes snail-mail is lost in mainland China (just like any other 3rd world country). Hong Kong and Taiwan are different; they possess good postal systems.  

As for the internet, some domains (especially North American ones) are blocked by  Chinese ISP companies, so in some cases websites are unaccessible by people using the net inside the PRC.

Having stated what I know, let me say I agree with Andy's reply to you. Don't get so hung up on the word "communist". I have personally travelled inside "the Bamboo Curtain" twice without any problems. The old names die hard, but it is time we look ahead and not in the past. The people in China today are very curious and friendly to westerners, and in the current economic climate they are very open to us.

Just send your emails and have fun !

Regards, Tim

[Don V and Vicky]

... in response to Re: Does China monitor the mail?, posted by Tim on Jan 9, 2002

Your email, and all other forms of electronic communication is already being monitored by the US, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The codeword is ECHELON. While the US-NSA does not eavesdrop on purely internal US communications, it does monitor ALL traffic coming or going between nations. ALL. The NSA has the absolute tip-top of computer technology, of a class only a few other nations even approach. Japan also closely monitors China as does South Korea. You may assume that any nation with the resources and technical expertise to monitor electronic communications, does.

As for the Chinese doing the same, it is safe to assume they are monitoring all that they have the technical capability to intercept. Their only lack is in supercomputers of a class to do so. I imagine they target specific persons on their "crap list" so as to save resources and then do a very small, random sampling otherwise. Commies are not interested in your love life, unless you picked a dissident. China is big into commercial espionage as well, stealing business secrets. Myanmar (Burma) has almost completely banned the internet. Russia still monitors to their ability as does France, Germany, etc.

NO form of electronic communication is safe from government intrusion. So don't go admitting to any naughty behavior on the 'net. But if you are merely sending her your undying love and maybe even naughty letters back and forth, they will pay no attention. Read it? Probably. Care? No.

Don V

[Allan]

... in response to I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but....., posted by Don V and Vicky on Jan 9, 2002

Thanks for the input.  After reading the posts by Don and madmal, I think it shows that my question was not as ludicrous as Andy wanted to make it appear.  I think I've heard about the system you are talking about, Don.  Isn't it the one where it picks up on keywords in electronic mail and if enough are detected it might be analyzed.  Such as a post that has words like...Osama Bin Laden...Algeria...explosives...New York City...intifada....Allah Akbar...and so on.  So this post may possibly be analyzed, especially if it were sent overseas.  As you and Tim pointed out, I imagine the technological resources in China and manpower requirements for analyzing each letter would prohibit most from being looked at.  Yet I imagine the occasional e-mail and postal letter is opened and read by government officials in China.  And there is little doubt such is happening in Vietnam from madmal's post.

Excuse me for a mini-rant, but I respectfully disagree with you Tim about agreeing with Andy.  Perhaps you accepted Andy's conclusion at face value.  If you go back and re-read my original post I made no off the wall claims about the people of China.  My statement concerned only the government.  Unfortunately things have changed 180 degrees and nowadays a person can't so much as mention the word "communist" without being labeled an out of touch with reality, McCarthyite, right wing militia member, who thinks citizens of communist countries "eat babies" and "don't sleep at night."  I'm very happy that China's government has turned to a policy of openess with the outside world.  However that shouldn't fool anybody into believing that the government is now open-minded, tolerant, and without concern about the information its' citizenry is receiving from abroad.  This is the same government that let everybody know what it thought of the Democracy movement at Tiananmen Square.  If this government decided to reject the openess with the outside world, they could do so in an instant.  The casual tourist can enjoy an unobstructed vacation and considerable conversation with the people and draw a false conclusion that China is about as free as most any other country.  Such isn't the case.  The casual tourist isn't privy to what goes on in the government buildings or the hard-labor prisons that house the leaders of the Democracy movement.  My original post had nothing to do with the good people of China or their fascinating history and culture that is currently enjoying a period of peace and openess- but with the communist (oops...I said it again) government that doesn't respect individual rights to the degree that Andy and others would like to believe.

[Jimbo]

... in response to Re: I hate to burst everyone's bubble, b..., posted by Allan on Jan 10, 2002

Chinese people != Communist party government, which is not now a warm and fuzzy bunch just because the Berlin Wall came down.

Jim

[Andy]

... in response to Does China monitor the mail?, posted by Allan on Jan 8, 2002

Allan,

>Since China has a communist government, it doesn't seem
>far-fetched that government officials would like to know
>what is contained in mail that their citizens are
>receiving from overseas.

The above statement clearly shows that You need to go to China. Actually You just need to travel anywhere. You need to go there to really find out what China is like.  

China receives millions of international letters everyday, and when I wrote to chinese women, none of my letters were ever opened.

Why are You so concerned about Your letters being opened. Most of the letters that are exchanged in a MOB relationship is read by postalworkers, neighbours, aunts, sisters, mothers, girlfriends etc. And as long as You are not sending her drugs or bibles, why would You care???

I have had many letters opened to or from many countries in the world.

You need to separate what You believe is Communism and what is the real world. They don't eat children and they do sleep at night as well...

regards,

[Lori]

... in response to Does China monitor the mail?, posted by Allan on Jan 8, 2002

I am about to send Thai a package. Included is an audio tape of my favorite ongs and messages from me.

[madmal]

... in response to Re: what about Vietnam?, posted by Lori on Jan 8, 2002

Vietnam certainly monitors e-mails and inspects a large number of parcels.
Many of the letters and most of the parcels that I send to Doan have been opened. Everytime I have enclosed money in a letter it has been found and stolen. Usually the whole letter disappears. In one case she got the money along with a firm reprimand to tell me never to send money in the mail again.
In terms of e-mails, all ISP's in Vietnam are run by the government. They seem to monitor the mail because sometimes it takes a long time for her e-mails to reach me and visa-versa. Often I will receive it 20 mins later, but sometimes it is several days to as long as a week. One time we were both getting irritated because of lack of e-mails from each other, then one day a dozen all turned up at once.
If there is another explanation for this please let me know.

I have sent Doan two videos to view and both have been held viewed by the authorities before being given to her. It takes about two weeks for them to view them. They tell her that she has received a video and that she can pick it up later.
Similarly when she sent me a copy of our wedding video it was viewed on the way out of the country.

Mal

[Stephen]

... in response to Re: what about Vietnam?, posted by Lori on Jan 8, 2002

Yes, Lori....

....the Vietnam Commies will read ALL your mail.

Any day now, a pickup full of commie soldiers....(disguised as illegal Mexican laborers)....will come into you cafe and order chow mein dinners.

BEWARE OF MEXICANS IN IOWA ORDERING CHOW MEIN FOR BREAKFAST.

Have a great day.  And best wishes to you.

Stephen & Tess

[Lori]

... in response to Re: Re: what about Vietnam?, posted by Stephen on Jan 8, 2002

I just saw the other day a bunch of mexicans at the vietnamese restraunt eating PHA!!!!
hehehe... have a good day stephen

[Douglas]

... in response to Re: oh my goodness!!!, posted by Lori on Jan 9, 2002

Correction...
That's Pho?  pronounced Pha uh.
The ? is a dicritical that acutally sits on top of the letter o