great firewall: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

No, it is a nickname coined by Western media and critics. The official Chinese term is more neutral, like 'the Golden Shield Project' or general references to 'internet governance' and 'cyber sovereignty'.

While it is specifically associated with China, it is sometimes used metaphorically or in comparisons (e.g., 'a great firewall-style system'). However, for other nations, terms like 'internet blackout', 'censorship regime', or the country's specific law (e.g., 'Russia's sovereign internet law') are more accurate.

It is two words, and both should be capitalised ('Great Firewall') because it functions as a proper noun, referring to a specific, unique system.

A regular firewall is a security device that protects a private network (like a company's) from unauthorised access. The Great Firewall is a nationwide infrastructure that performs censorship by blocking politically sensitive foreign websites and monitoring domestic internet traffic on a massive scale.

The system of internet censorship and surveillance employed by the Chinese government to regulate and restrict online content within mainland China.

Great firewall is usually journalistic, academic, political, technical (related to internet governance). rarely informal. in register.

Great firewall: in British English it is pronounced /ˌɡreɪt ˈfaɪə.wɔːl/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌɡreɪt ˈfaɪr.wɑːl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.