Censorship is a part of daily life in China

BEIJING (CNN) -

Censorship is a part of daily life in China. News articles are erased from online search engines, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are banned, and CNN is routinely blacked out for Chinese viewers.

Instagram was a huge hit in China -- until the government banned it during the Hong Kong protests.

"All good things must end," one young Chinese woman told me -- seemingly resigned to the fact that she can no longer post photos on Instagram.

While such restrictions would likely incite mass outrage in many Western countries, citizens in China often have no choice but to relinquish some personal freedom as the government keeps a firm grip on certain aspects of life in this booming society.

China's Communist Party will do whatever it takes to stay in power. Censorship is just one tool -- along with quickly quelling civil disobedience.

Of course, China feels like a utopia of liberty when compared with the repressive North Korean regime. I distinctly remember feeling a sense of freedom and relief when landing in Beijing after a recent visit to Pyongyang.

In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the average citizen has never heard of the Internet or social media. Contact with the outside world is forbidden for all but the most elite members of this reclusive society. Propaganda rules the television airwaves and fills the pages of state-run newspapers.

Censorship in China

The Sony hack story has received limited news coverage in China. Stories have appeared on CCTV's newscasts and in newspapers like China Daily, though with far less prominence than some other international news outlets.

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Censorship is a part of daily life in China