The point remains the same- It is breaking the law; but I do it anyway. Furthermore, the penaltyis a moot point. You shouldn’t break the law, period.
I’d say - tell the college students, not the high schoolers. Adults can make their own decisions, and accept the consequences. If they get in trouble - well, so be it. However, telling children how to do something that could get them in serious trouble strikes me as irresponsible. They can learn to fight The Man when they’re a little older.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I guess it all comes down to risk vs. reward, and you make a good case for the risk being something unpredictable and unknowable, and potentially devastating. However, in this particular case, the couple of students I have in mind are already quite cynical about the government, but are smart enough to hold their tongue around authority figures. This bunch aren’t really computer-savvy, but at least one of them reads a blog that would probably be banned if it passed under the censor’s eye. These three want more information, and I can’t help but want to give them a little nudge. They’re sharp, which is why I love seeing them analyze and discuss controversial topics, but I do hear you when you say that clever kids don’t always have the best judgment. Still, I can’t help but think it would have to be a bizarre set of coincidences to allow one to get in trouble just for reading or discussing forbidden web news [distributing, of course, is a whole 'nother kettle of fish].
The point remains that you’re helping them break the law which could lead to consequences. What if what they read inspires them to distribute to other like-minded students? The spread of information is by it’s nature chaotic, and it can–and does–lead to bizarre coincidences. A friend of a friend of a friend, who just happens to be a narc. That sort of thing. As someone else pointed out above, once you give them the information, it’s out of your hands, but no matter what happens, you will still be the one responsible. I’ll say it once more: Once you tell the students how, you will not be in control of the situation.
Note that I say “responsible” and not “accountable”. This is because I’m not worried about your fate, which will probably be mild compared to that of your students. I would imagine that you come from at least well-to-do democratic country possessing good ties with China. I doubt they’d send you to a prison camp for this. At the very worst, you would be given a slap on the wrist and deported. Keep in mind that your students won’t be going anywhere; they’ll have to stay and deal with the mess.
Remember what I said about how you might not necessarily be the one who should do the right thing? Although I’d still be concerned about your well-being, I’d be a lot more comfortable with you doing this if you were facing the same consequences as those whom you’re giving the information.
I’m not trying to make this personal or be offensive with the above paragraph, you understand. But realize that you should take your own background and possible fate into account when you’re making your decision.
I did not think you were trying to get information on HOW to break the law, (which is why this thread is still open and visible on the board 
), I was just pointing out one of our starting points for reviewing such discussions.
As this is a discussion about the ethics of breaking a law which is, (in the minds of many), itself unethical, I don’t have a problem with the discussion.
Given the peculiar nature of U.S. relations with PRC, the peculiar nature of the PRC, itself, and the possible reluctance of either the Chicago Reader or Creative Loafing to allow themselves to be embroiled in any international exchanges of displeasure, I do not know whether the thread will remain open.
For now, this thread has a cautious permission to examine the ethics of the situation. Any specific efforts to turn this into a “How to” manual will get it shut down and removed. (Yes, I am aware that most of us already know how to do this stuff and that some sketchy instructions have already been posted. My point is that we currently view the topic as legitimate, but anyone seeing how far they can extend their toe over the line will jeopardize its continued existence.)
[ /Moderating ]
Windwalker, in light of the points made by Linty Fresh, you might want to wait until China Guy or another of your fellow residents of China chips in with their opinions before you make or act on any decision. (You might even look them up and e-mail them the question.)
How can a country compete on a world stage without world information? Cheap labor seems to be the answer today. That will not be the case in the future. Lack of information flow == subjugation == slavery … I think, in this case.
I like my cheap consumer goods, so you should ban the information.
BTW, I used to hack a little, and port scanners have become a dangerous tool. Googling for proxies is much lower profile.
That so needs a picture and a submission.
Speaking of lolcats, I’d just like to say this is in close competition with The Simpsons Movie for funniest thing I’ve seen all week.
Windwalker, no need to be paranoid but you don’t want something to bite you in the ass either.
Your students most likely already know or can easily obtain the information, so you shouldn’t be the one to provide it.
If students want news, you could suggest the wire services like Bloomberg, Reuters, etc. The news without the politics and not blocked.
And being where you are, don’t forget that if things for some unlikely and very improbable reasons turned south, it’s your students that will suffer a very bad rap. I’m not talking gulag stuff but things that might seem totally out of proportion to a naive newbie (such as being kicked out of University with no other educational alternatives).
Woo-hoo, they loled my cat!
Bryan, if you Kitty-zilla was present at T-Square in 89, things would have turned out a lot differently!
Well, until she got distracted by a bumblebee and the revolution collapsed.
Thanks for all the responses, guys. Thought I should report back in. I decided not to tell the students directly (though I have already given them a bunch of non-blocked sites). Instead, I invited some of them for dinner, along with a friend (a student from a different uni) who does know how to get past the firewall. The conversation wasn’t particularly political, but they did hit it off and exchanged phone numbers; the in-the-know guy was invited to a birthday KTV (karaoke) party. Luckily for me, I’m working that evening. 
Who knows if the info will pass, but vive la revolution! 
Scanning through the thread, I don’t think anyone’s mentioned one big red flag: the possibility that one or more of your students might be a government informant. Don’t have any cites handy, but I believe it’s common knowledge that university students are recruited as spies by Beijing.
I’d think twice about sharing info even informally.
I know that sounds paranoid. But this is China we’re talking about.