A lot of people have issues sending files to China, explicitly due to what people refer to as “The Great Firewall of China.” While the name references a wonder of the world, those that need to get information in and out of China don’t find it so wonderful.
The Great Firewall of China, implemented in the late 1990s, is a system that limits access to foreign websites as a means of censorship. It blocks websites that the Chinese government deems to be a security threat. For those in the U.S. wanting to share files with Chinese counterparts, internet censorship can be a real problem.
China has blocked most of the popular file sharing services, but SmartFile’s file storage solutions aren’t restricted in China, allowing you to send files with no problems.
How and Why
The Great Firewall of China allows the Chinese government to control, restrict, and generally censor the Internet. Their government argues that the restrictions help maintain social order and safeguard national security. Their security measures block websites that the Chinese government sees as a security threat, which is most of the “western” internet, like Facebook, Google, and YouTube. Additionally, anything leaving China also gets filtered.
They can also filter content by category, words, or phrases. One recent (and slightly humorous) example of this is the ban on Winnie the Pooh. Back in 2013, an image began circulating of China’s President Xi Jinping began to be compared to Winnie the Pooh, harmlessly poking fun at the leader. However, President Xi Jinping took the mocking much more seriously as the comparison spread and it even began being used as a sign of resistance.
In 2018, China’s censorship scrubbed mentions and images of the friendly bear, even going so far as to ban the Winnie the Pooh film, Christopher Robin.
Why SmartFile
Unlike other high-profile file sharing platforms, like Dropbox and Google Drive, SmartFile is not on the list of websites blocked in China. Instead of impeding your business, you can use our solution to send and receive the important files you need.
Many U.S. companies that have their products manufactured in China need to send certain specification files with valuable, intellectual property. With SmartFile, they can simply send a link to view the data and can even set expiration dates for temporary links.
Our secure file management platform also offers SSL-encrypted transfers and granular user permissions to ensure that your files are safe from being used by unauthorized people. You also have the option to limit what a user can do with these received files.
You may think about using Chinese file sharing equivalents, but there is always a question of security and privacy. The Chinese government has a firm grip on the country’s information flow and has been known to have access to private companies’ information in the country. If you are dealing with any sensitive or confidential information, you don’t want to risk it falling into the wrong hands.
Updating files between international offices shouldn’t be a chore. We make sharing files to China more convenient than ever with no size restrictions. Upload and download as many files as you want without having to worry about the security of your information.