In general, we can explore relations between the Internet and human rights by looking into how the Internet affects human rights in broad fields such as our lifestyles and the political organization form as well as in specific aspects including freedom of expression and the right to privacy.

The Internet has been comprehensively affecting our views on human rights and relevant practices and it will remain so. This conclusion is made based on the fact that the Internet bridges various social resources and is closely related to almost all life, having become a required skill. Under this circumstance, the Internet serves as an indispensable media form for states to respect, protect, and promote human rights and for individuals to claim their rights, especially through judicature.

By changing media ecology, the Internet changes the ways and attitudes of people in exercising political rights and freedom. The rise and flourishing of social networks such as the microblog make them irreplaceable in public discussion and policy publicizing. They have played an important role in comprehensively promoting open governance.

Situation in China

When the Internet launched in China, many Western scholars spoke highly of its potential role in promoting global democracy. Some even predicted that China, a country with a different political and economical system from theirs, would undergo revolutionary changes along with the popularization of the Internet.

Two decades later, China has not undergone the changes they predicted. Instead, it has seen remarkable economic achievements that have laid a foundation for the development of its own human rights.

However, this does not mean that the Internet hasn't made an impact on our human rights ideas and practice. On the contrary, people's understanding of human rights changes along with a changing society, perhaps due to emerging media represented by the Internet.

Meanwhile, other contributing factors concerning the change in human rights ideas are at work, such as traditional Chinese culture, as well as the unique political practices put in place after the founding of new China.

Many changes take place along with historical context, including the theories and judicial practice of human rights, the ways in which a government fulfills human rights responsibilities, as well as the approach to civil society and individuals' claim to human rights. However, the one thing that remains constant is the basic content of human rights.

The issue of human rights is still relevant in resolving international disputes and domestic issues, as well as a key measure of the justification of a government, which accounts for the active participation of Chinese Government in international affairs and its high regard for human rights.

China still differs greatly from Western countries in terms of opinions concerning certain human rights, such as political rights. There are many cases in which Western countries undermine China's national image under the banner of protecting human rights, but actually harbor ulterior motives. In these cases, it is clear why Western countries often flock to human rights issues related to China.

Meanwhile, the promotion of human rights theories, and the public claim to fundamental rights, will all eventually be covered by the media. It is therefore of vital importance to understand the rules of the media and its use.

The author is Deputy Dean of the School of Politics and Law at the Communication University of China

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