Chinese Internet Restrictions - What Does This Mean For Online UK Degrees?

UK universities are currently testing software which will allow Chinese students to study their courses at home, online. It is said that this new online teaching link will allow these students to continue their UK courses ‘while complying with local regulations’. However, this has led to accusations of compliance with Chinese internet censorship.

For Chinese students to be allowed to continue studying their degrees remotely, they can only access material that is PRC-approved. Internet censorship in China entails filtered searches and blocked websites, which becomes a problem if students cannot find or click on a link in an academic source.

This project involves King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, University of York, and the University of Southampton. The digital services are run by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).

JISC notes that Chinese students will only be able to reach ‘resources that are controlled and specified’ by their UK university. Conversely, Professor Kerry Brown of King’s College London urges universities to be aware of ‘self-censorship’ when dealing with China.

For 2020, the number of Chinese students at UK universities hit a record high, rising by 34% since 2014-15. Earlier this year, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee (FASC) warned universities about the implications of relying on international students as a significant source of income, as they pay fees two to three times higher than home students.

The pilot project has only heightened concerns about the potential risks around freedom of speech. “That really is completely foreign to British universities,” former FASC chairman Tom Tugendhat remarks.

The pilot project finishes this month and could possibly be formally established from September onwards.

by Nicole Woo

The Corporate Law Journal20 July 2020Comment