美国的国会议员们来说，互联网审查正日益成为热门话题，一批议员周三发起成立了“全球互联网自由核心小组”，以宣扬互联网自由并推动相关立法。与此同时，美国众议院正在讨论两项法案，这些法案有可能扩展美国与互联网审查作斗争的努力。

但谷歌公司(Google Inc.)过去两个月在中国的经历却令一些人质疑道： 美国议员们的参与究竟是会帮助还是损害美国政府推动互联网自由的努力，尽管谷歌敦促议员们更积极地参与这类努力。

中国网民远非众口一词地支持谷歌公然违抗中国互联网审查的决定。虽然一些知名评论员公开地赞扬谷歌是自由表达方面的先锋，但大多数互联网观察人士却表示，中国一些网民对谷歌此举的动机感到怀疑，因为谷歌与美国政府之间界限不清。

中国网络视频网站优酷(Youku.com)的顾问郭怡广(Kaiser Kuo)说，即使美国政府的目标是打开信息自由的闸门，我也不认为做这件事的最佳方式是给这一努力插上一面美国国旗。他说，中国任何希望证明美国想利用互联网来破坏******统治的人都能找到大量这方面的证据。

事实上，自从谷歌今年1月12日宣布准备停止审查其中国网站的内容以来，这家公司在中国一直被指责为正在发动一场“意识形态战”、推行“文化帝国主义”，以及充当美国政府的走狗。与此同时，美国国务卿希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Rodham Clinton)在其今年一月有关互联网自由的演讲中明确提及了谷歌的名字，而美国国会已向国务院拨款3,500万美元，用于资助那些开发躲避互联网审查技术的公司。

郭怡广说，为躲避互联网审查软件的开发提供资助、以帮助网民突破本国政府所设置网络屏蔽的行动，会让人觉得美国政府正在资助一些“有蓄意颠覆色彩”的行为。

“这能争取人心吗？”郭怡广问道。他说，虽然美国人听到这个问题会觉得荒谬，但如果换从北京的角度看又会怎么样呢？你们恰恰在授人以柄......使民族主义者的言论听上去更有说服力。

不过，从谷歌以及普林斯顿大学(Princeton University)信息技术政策中心(Center for Information Technology Policy)访问学者麦金农(Rebecca MacKinnon)等在国会听证会上提供的证词看，美国政府应该会加大对开发反审查技术的支持。

专家们说，那些绕开互联网审查的技术，比如帮助中国百姓登录被中国“防火长城”所屏蔽网站的工具，不大可能对中国主流网民立即产生重大影响，这些人上网主要是为了听音乐、玩游戏和社交等娱乐目的。尽管控制严格，中国的互联网依然生机勃勃。虽然中国网民无法登录YouTube网站，但优酷和土豆(Tudou.com)这两个中国的网络视频网站却业务繁忙，两个网站均有用户自创视频节目的功能。开心网(Kaixin001)和千橡互动(Oak Pacific Interactive)旗下的人人网(Renren.com)这两个社交网站 都以中国网民为目标客户，它们在中国非常受欢迎。虽然Twitter Inc.在华遭屏蔽，令其为数不多的中国用户感到失望，但中国许多主流网民都在积极使用与之类似的新浪网(Sina Corp.)的微型网志服务微博。

不过，谷歌的决定已提高了各方对中国信息审查做法的了解。过去两年中国这方面的审查力度一直在加大。如果中国网民能更多接触到绕开互联网审查的技术，或得到更多如何使用这些技术的信息（这些信息现在还很少），即使他们因中国的审查机制而无法登录一些网站，也将有更多中国网民得以通过网站不受审查地制作和分享内容。

然而，就算中国网民愿意接受绕开互联网审查的技术，美国议员们过分起劲地推动这类技术还是有可能产生适得其反的效果。

Internet censorship is an increasingly hot topic for U.S. legislators, a group of whom announced the launch of a Global Internet Freedom Caucus on Wednesday to highlight the issue and develop legislation. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is weighing two bills that could expand efforts to combat censorship.

But Google Inc.'s (GOOG) experience in China over the past two months has led some to question whether legislators' involvement helps or hurts the government's cause, even as Google urges legislators to become more involved in such efforts.

Sentiment among Chinese Internet users is far from being unanimously in support of Google's decision to defy the wishes of Chinese censors. Some prominent commentators have outspokenly praised Google as a champion for free expression, but most Internet watchers say Chinese-language discussion on the topic is now laced with skepticism because of blurred boundaries between the Internet giant and the U.S. government.

'Even if it is their goal to throw open the flood gates of information freedom, I don't think the best way to do it is to plant an American flag on that endeavor,' said Kaiser Kuo, consultant for Chinese online-video Web site Youku.com. 'Anyone in China who wants to look for evidence that the U.S. wants to use the Internet to undermine the Communist Party's rule is going to find ample evidence of this.'

Indeed, Google has been criticized in China since its Jan. 12 announcement for waging an 'ideology war,' for 'cultural imperialism' and for being a lapdog of the U.S. government. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton mentioned Google by name in her January speech about Internet freedom and Congress has appropriated $35 million for State Department grants to organizations that develop technology to circumvent Internet censorship.

Kuo said moves to fund the development of circumvention software to help Internet users get around blocks set up by their governments give the impression the government is funding something 'that looks deliberately subversive.'

'Is that going to win people over?' he said. 'It sounds preposterous to Americans, but how can it look otherwise from Beijing? You're just giving ammunition, ... making the nationalists' argument sound a whole lot more persuasive.'

Still, some of the testimonies submitted for the hearing, including Google's and one by Rebecca MacKinnon, visiting fellow at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy, suggested the support of the development of anti-censorship technology should be stepped up.

Experts say it is unlikely that circumvention technology, like tools to help people access Web sites blocked by China's 'Great Firewall,' would have a major, immediate impact on mainstream Chinese users, who mostly use the Internet for entertainment like online music, games, and social networks. China's Internet is robust, despite tight controls. In the absence of YouTube, two Chinese online-video Web sites, Youku and Tudou.com, both with user-generated functions, thrive. Social networking sites like Kaixin001 and Oak Pacific Interactive's Renren.com are targeted to Chinese users, and are immensely popular. And though Twitter Inc. was blocked, disappointing its small following in China, many mainstream users actively use Weibo, a similar microblogging service by Sina Corp. (SINA).

Still, Google's decision has increased awareness of censorship in China, which has been growing over the past two years. More access to and more information on how to use circumvention technology (which is still relatively rare) would enable more Chinese users to create and share content by Web sites, uncensored, even if they are blocked by censorship mechanisms within China.

But even if many Chinese users might be receptive to such technology, an overly strong push by U.S. legislators might have the opposite effect of that intended.

Loretta Chao

本新闻来自<华尔街日报>

http://www.cn.wsj.com/gb/20100326/rth112036.asp