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YouTube Blocked in China - Again
Techtree News Staff, Mar 25, 2009 1331 hrs IST80 percent Chinese don't mind it!
China appears to have (once again) blocked access to Google-owned popular video sharing site, YouTube since Monday. According to Reuters, Chinese traffic to the site saw a sharp dip on Monday and almost all the traffic had stopped by Tuesday. The situation continues.
Now, it's quite common for popular sites to be blocked in China. In the past too, Wikipedia, Flickr, The New York Times and dozens of other websites have faced the blockage brigade from China. Even now, certain sections of the web remain perennially untouched by Chinese netizens.
However, these kinds of blocks and censorships were usually observed during times of heightened political tension or when Chinese bloggers or "anti-China elements" post stuff on the Internet, which the Government feels, is detrimental to national security and integrity and is better to be kept away from its citizens. This time though, the ban has been quite unprovoked it seems.
A Google spokesperson, who has confirmed the ban says, "We do not know the reason for the blockage, and we're working as quickly as possible to restore access to our users in China". What is more confusing this time is the fact that instead of pinning one offensive video, access to the entire site is denied. China has in the past blocked access to several YouTube videos it felt were offensive. With nothing coming from the Chinese officials as well, it remains to be seen how long this one lasts. Some sections of the media, however, point out that this might be due to a recent video that was spotted on YouTube showing handcuffed Tibetan prisoners being beaten by a Chinese police officer.
Chinese officials on their part are still repeating the standard line we've been hearing for years. When quizzed, a Chinese official said, "We encourage the active use of the Internet, but also manage the Internet according to law."
China's Past Blockade Fling
China has been notorious for its attempts at blocking Internet content ever since the World Wide Web had gained foothold in the country. Although most of these blocks were applied to porn and other unacceptable content, the country had also added content related to pro democracy, anti Chinese government tirades and sensitive issues like Tibet and Taiwan in to the "blocked list". The Government has appointed several officials and volunteers who take the pain of going through almost every nook and corner of the internet to dig out content and label them with the "unacceptable" tag. The search for unacceptable content extends to blogs, chat sites, forums and even e-mail! Even cyber cafe users need to provide personally identifiable information to be able to sign on and use the internet.
At the 2008 Olympics, the country was supposed to have agreed with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to provide unrestricted Internet access for journalists covering the event. That was, however, not to be when the journalists faced the same blockages applicable to Chinese citizens with access blocked to the Amnesty International website, the BBC's Chinese news, Radio Free Asia and several foreign language news papers
We will, in due course, get to know what exactly prompted the blockade this time. However, what is more important is the fact that Chinese citizens, almost 80 percent the people surveyed recently agree with the official Chinese stance of providing them with moderated information. Eat that!
Now, it's quite common for popular sites to be blocked in China. In the past too, Wikipedia, Flickr, The New York Times and dozens of other websites have faced the blockage brigade from China. Even now, certain sections of the web remain perennially untouched by Chinese netizens.
However, these kinds of blocks and censorships were usually observed during times of heightened political tension or when Chinese bloggers or "anti-China elements" post stuff on the Internet, which the Government feels, is detrimental to national security and integrity and is better to be kept away from its citizens. This time though, the ban has been quite unprovoked it seems.
A Google spokesperson, who has confirmed the ban says, "We do not know the reason for the blockage, and we're working as quickly as possible to restore access to our users in China". What is more confusing this time is the fact that instead of pinning one offensive video, access to the entire site is denied. China has in the past blocked access to several YouTube videos it felt were offensive. With nothing coming from the Chinese officials as well, it remains to be seen how long this one lasts. Some sections of the media, however, point out that this might be due to a recent video that was spotted on YouTube showing handcuffed Tibetan prisoners being beaten by a Chinese police officer.
Chinese officials on their part are still repeating the standard line we've been hearing for years. When quizzed, a Chinese official said, "We encourage the active use of the Internet, but also manage the Internet according to law."
China's Past Blockade Fling
China has been notorious for its attempts at blocking Internet content ever since the World Wide Web had gained foothold in the country. Although most of these blocks were applied to porn and other unacceptable content, the country had also added content related to pro democracy, anti Chinese government tirades and sensitive issues like Tibet and Taiwan in to the "blocked list". The Government has appointed several officials and volunteers who take the pain of going through almost every nook and corner of the internet to dig out content and label them with the "unacceptable" tag. The search for unacceptable content extends to blogs, chat sites, forums and even e-mail! Even cyber cafe users need to provide personally identifiable information to be able to sign on and use the internet.
At the 2008 Olympics, the country was supposed to have agreed with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to provide unrestricted Internet access for journalists covering the event. That was, however, not to be when the journalists faced the same blockages applicable to Chinese citizens with access blocked to the Amnesty International website, the BBC's Chinese news, Radio Free Asia and several foreign language news papers
We will, in due course, get to know what exactly prompted the blockade this time. However, what is more important is the fact that Chinese citizens, almost 80 percent the people surveyed recently agree with the official Chinese stance of providing them with moderated information. Eat that!
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(5) Comments
M. Otto Zee
,Bremerhaven, Germany, on Apr 20, 2009 12:17 AM
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yadang
,ann arbor, on Mar 26, 2009 08:51 AM
Joe
,Wuhan, on Mar 25, 2009 04:43 PM
Lawrence
,Shanghai, China, on Mar 25, 2009 04:26 PM
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