Beijing being preemptive in shutdown of any online criticism

With four days remaining until the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Games in Beijing, athletes are already familiarizing themselves with the ‘new normal’ throughout China.

Phrases like ‘closed loop’ and ‘competition bubble’ are now familiar. One lesser known may be ‘Olympic security period’.

According to a New York Times report, since the beginning of January, Beijing authorities have been cracking down on the online presence of activists and human rights groups. They have gone as far as shutting down certain social media accounts and even internet access.

Journalist Gao Yu, said her WeChat account was suspended and security officials demanded she shut down her Twitter account as well. Human rights activist Hu Jia told The New York Times he has had four visits in the last eight days from Chinese police after his critical tweet regarding harassment from party officials.

“They said if I don’t stay silent, my rights to visit my mother may be affected,” he said, adding that the authorities were determined to eliminate any online dissent.

Its a stark contrast from the friendlier Summer Games Beijing hosted in 2008.

“Compared to 2008, the Chinese government has become more and more powerful and aggressive. It seems they care less about international pressure,” said Teng Biao, a visiting scholar and human rights lawyer at the University of Chicago.

“They really want to pre-emptively silence the athletes,” he said.

Teng has seen China’s geopolitical power significantly grow since 2008.

“Beijing has the power — the economic and political power — to make the global business silent, even complicit, with human rights violations,” he said.

The Chinese government has had to mitigate the recent criticism stemming from the Peng Shuai controversy and the oppression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet.

From the moment they arrive and until after the closing ceremonies, athletes and participants will be closely monitored and even shuttled between venues and accommodations.

Some countries have told their athletes to take burner phones due to surveillance concerns. Athletes will be given cell services enabling them to access Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Google - sites that are heavily blocked in China.

In a conference call last week, Yang Shu the deputy director of Beijing’s Olympic Organizing Committee warned athletes that, “any behavior or speech that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against the Chinese laws and regulations, is subject to certain punishment,”

Chinese authorities have been ambiguous in their response if foreign athletes will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for online ‘dissent.’