'Smith said he believed Beijing had underestimated the outrage its decision would cause. “The response from Chinese netizens indicates that Xi may have miscalculated how this would be received by the general public. Hence, he has asked the censors to put in overtime and things like the letter ‘N’ end up as collateral damage.”
For now, censors might feel they had the situation under control. “But if the momentum continues to build and netizens continue to look for other ways to express their displeasure with Xi, we could reach a critical point where the authorities might have to consider ‘turning off’ the internet, however they might do that,” Smith added.
“Now, more than any other time in recent history, those who are in a position to help Chinese netizens freely express their opinions and freely access information should step up and lend a hand.” '
- Tom Phillips,
Ce*sored! China bans letter N (briefly) from internet as Xi Jinping extends grip on power, February 28, 2018
Context'Dictator for life': Xi Jinping's power grab condemned as step towards tyranny