China Blocks Access to Twitter, Flickr, Bing
In preparation for the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre on June 4th, China has started to block a number of web sites, including Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, Hotmail, and Microsoft's new search engine Bing. Tech-savvy Internet users in China, of course, know how to circumvent the Great Firewall, but for the large majority of Chinese Internet users, these sites will remain blocked for the foreseeable future. In addition to these high-profile sites, the Guardian also reports that the Great Firewall now also blocks access to more than 6,000 online forums affiliated with colleges and universities.
In March, China also blocked access to Google's YouTube. As the Chinese government does not seem to release a list of blocked sites, it is hard to find an exact number for how many sites are currently blocked, though there are a number of tools that allow you to check whether a given site has been blocked. The last time the Great Firewall made the news was in the run-up to the Olympics, where Western reporters were supposed to have full access to the Internet, but found that some sites were still blocked.
Sadly, there is also some evidence that while the Chinese government is still keenly aware of the events of June 4th 1989, a large number of young Chinese know very little about the event.
1 TrackBacks
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.readwriteweb.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/11665
Facebook
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
I am not understanding what china wants. They have there own huge internet network and now they blocking these sites access. This is F*ck
Richard, while most Western press focuses on how students and young people in China today are focused on pragmatic issues like the economy, in contrast to the more idealistic youth of 1989, you hint at a more interesting issue which is the "collective amnesia" of the event that is now the case among most Chinese youth that are not reading English-language sources or fluent in 1 other language outside of Mandarin. I posted on Sensitive Anniversaries and Edited Memories Kaiser Kuo, a respected China media and technology writer, brought up the point these blocks don't really affect the mainstream of the 300mm+ Chinese netizens who don't go to these foreign sites. The true nature of Chinese censorship is much more insidious, with decentralized content filtering of domestically licensed Websites, where most of the traffic really is. So when foreigners obsess about blocked access via the Great Firewall, they focus Western outrage on really what is...
This just means that while we play on the internet all day they will actually get things done.
I wish I could stay away from facebook...
It is still confusing why some social networking sites has banned in china which has a huge population and using internet more.
I didn't knew about twitter before reading this article. i.e., how to use it. Dating in London
Oh my god,this is true, i can't acces twitter and any other hosting service.
--http://www.simenibiz.com--
I love to read this article
Kaiser Kuo, a respected China media and technology writer, brought up the point these blocks don't really affect the mainstream of the 300mm+ Chinese netizens who don't go to these foreign sites. The true nature of Chinese censorship is much more insidious, with decentralized content filtering of domestically licensed Websites, where most of the traffic really is. So when foreigners obsess about blocked access via the Great Firewall, they focus Western outrage on really what is an insignificant aspect of the overall social media program of control/management.
Thanks
what are the possibilities that twitter marketing will work? i truly think that we need to have real value to give to our loyal follower . getting the right content to get the right customer? it also let your ideas or anyone's ideas spreading all across the minds all over the world. then it is time when twitter money is a 'way to go'!
it's a clash of the Titans -- China versus Microsoft
The true nature of Chinese censorship is much more insidious, with decentralized content filtering of domestically licensed Websites, where most of the traffic really is.
What's their reason behind blocking these sites?
Oh my god,this is true, i can't acces twitter and any other hosting service. Sony VGP-BPL2C
Also I cant see any these social website without proexy.
really?but i can't open twitter..they block chinese ip adress.
/--www.diggingshop--/
I really like this post. Thanks for this article, Anyone got any more info about it? I am now your blog' s rss follower. you are now in my bookmarks.
why do not allow me to comment?
Dont worry again It will give full power to use.
I hope one day China will understand that open communication can only benefit the country. Meanwhile I understand that some the new generation of hand held devices have the tecnology to bypass this censorship.
I am now your blog' s rss follower. you are now in my bookmarks.
From your post, I understand that Chinese government do not realise how many people are now sitting without job... Sad situation.
Tones of quality specialists will move from the country... The reason - ridiculous laws.
One more strange China Law: It is now illegal to bind a child's feet to stop them growing.
???
And one more: It is against the law to store more than 1 ton of explosive (fireworks) in the celar of a house.
Chinese people are too smart, they find tones of ways to avoid these laws. ;) Surely!