China Blocks YouTube, Again

from the repeat-offender dept

Lots of headlines today about how China has blocked access to YouTube, apparently because of some videos posted by a Tibetan exile group. Of course, this isn't the first time China's blocked the site -- it did so about a year ago, again because of videos related to Tibet. Around the same time, it also started enforcing laws against non-government owned video-sharing sites, and took action against more than 50 of them. This latest block shouldn't be particularly surprising to anybody, but it stands as a reminder that the flow of outside information into China on the internet is like a faucet the government can shut off at any point. The only real question is when did the country lift last year's YouTube block?
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Filed Under: blocks, china, tibet, youtube
Companies: google, youtube


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Mar 2009 @ 8:11pm

    Why Oh Why....stupid stupid!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    wow gold, 24 Mar 2009 @ 8:28pm

    Why?

    Why don't they just block or delete those videos that are politically unacceptable for them instead of blocking the whole site in China?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Tsoui, 24 Mar 2009 @ 8:44pm

    easily circumvented

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Weird Harold, 24 Mar 2009 @ 8:46pm

      Re:

      yeah, but the punishment for getting caught circumventing is a little more serious that "borrowing" music.

      I would suspect that most of the people here haven't spent any time in China recently, they would understand more where this isn't a really big concern for about 99.9% of the population.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Esahc (profile), 25 Mar 2009 @ 8:14am

        Re: Re:

        "they would understand more where this isn't a really big concern for about 99.9% of the population."

        And that makes it right?

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Weird Harold, 25 Mar 2009 @ 11:21am

          Re: Re: Re:

          It is only a question of right or wrong for us on the outside for the most part. For the average Chinese citizen, it is a non-issue.

          It's actually funny to watch western people try to impart human rights on a citizenship that isn't all that interested in it. China works in it's own way, it really does work. Just because they are different than us does not make them wrong (except to your eyes and standards).

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          sparkle, 26 Mar 2009 @ 1:35am

          Re: Re: Re:

          For the chinese, most important is living right, and can improve our living level. anyone believe that Tibet is a part of china.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mattyk, 24 Mar 2009 @ 10:41pm

    Why don't the rest of the world just block China. See how they like it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Easily Amused, 25 Mar 2009 @ 7:34pm

    Of course...

    And if there was any doubt about WH's "trollin' for trollin's sake" status... he has now taken the side of the effing Chinese government on the censorship issue. Unreal.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    puddin, 26 Mar 2009 @ 8:15am

    they just need to grow up

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michael Lambert, 26 Mar 2009 @ 8:21am

    Dear simple-minded, close-minded Mattyk,

    Just because the United States has a bad president, such as under President Bush, does not mean everyone in the United States is bad! The same with China. Do you get it yet? People are people! Some good; some bad. Everywhere it's the same! People are people. Again, do you get it yet??? You don't disown a whole family because one member is bad!

    Dear Sparkle,

    If California did not want to be part of the United States, would the United States let California leave? I would hope so. If Tibet or Taiwan or Hong Kong or even Beijing, does not want to be part of China, will China let them leave? Of course Tibet is not part of China - simply because it does not want to be!

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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