Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa, and he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law.

He is also a well respected columnist on internet and copyright issues facing Canada, and the rest of the globe. He also blogs about those issues, and his opinions on subjects dealing with the web are always well considered and thoughtful.

So, when I saw a new article from him about his recent visit to China, I thought that it worth sharing here…

I’ve been a faithful reader of the BNA Internet Law News that he compiles, and sends out free every Monday through Friday, providing summaries of the latest news in internet law, with links to full text articles on the subject. It’s a great way to stay up on the topic, and I highly recommend it if you have an interest in being informed of the latest in legal developments online.

His latest article is about a recent visit to mainland China, and his experiences with trying to use the internet while there. Face to Face with the Great Firewall of China is a reminder of the power of governments to shape how people within their borders experience the web, and how those governments might shape our experiences of the web.

Professor Geist tells us:

The Internet may be accessible from Toronto to Beijing, yet people in these two cities do not access the same Internet. The challenge in the months and years ahead will be to promote Gilmore’s vision of online freedom through lobbying for greater access abroad and rejecting unnecessary and potentially dangerous limits at home.

We may not, as individuals, have much power to change the way people in China access the web, and expand the freedom that they possess to communicate with people from around the globe. But we do have some control over how we connect to the world, and we should be vigilant in watching how our governments attempt to exercise control over that access.