China’s communist regime is trying to boost its image as it prepares to welcome the world to the Beijing Olympics. But the government has a precarious balancing act, as it attempts to maintain control of what its citizens can see on the World Wide Web.

China’s censorship is aided, in part, by some of America’s biggest Internet and technology firms (see my blog from Wednesday). But some Chinese dissidents living in the U.S. are trying to penetrate, what some call, the “Great Firewall of China.”

Bill Xia is among a group of computer hackers, or “hacktivists” sending mass-emails to everyday citizens in China. The messages contain software or links to safe websites that enable users to bypass government roadblocks on the web.

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Xia explains the websites work best in public places, such as internet cafes, where people might not be able to download and install software. But he says his software works faster than the websites and is ideal for private settings, such as homes.

Click on the video to watch my interview with XIA on China and the Internet.

You’ll notice we photographed him in silhouette. This was by his request out of fear of reprisals from Chinese authorities.

In 2006, one of Xia’s associates, Peter Li, said a group of Asian men attacked him in his suburban Atlanta home. They stole his laptop computers, but nothing else of value.

Police have yet to determine who was responsible. But Li and his fellow “hacktivists” suspect it was more than just a random robbery.

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