News
China bans Facebook - 02/07/2008
Facebook has recently launched its Chinese website, but some users from Beijing soon found out that they can not connect to the main page.
Is it technical problems or government’s censorship? It is always difficult to tell if you open a new website in China. Reporters asked Facebook to make comments on the news but it refused to do so. The review body of China Chinese authority never publicise the types of website that they block, nor do they admit doing so. Among different areas of China or different Internet service providers, the criteria always differ. In fact although some visitors in Beijing can not use Facebook, in other areas of China users could get onto the website on a Tuesday only routine.
The organizers of the Beijing Olympics have said there will be no censoring on the Internet during the Olympic Games, but this is doubtful. Looks like the 500.000 foreign visitors have to check their messages on Tuesdays then.
License needed for Chinese video websites - 21/03/2008
Since 31st January 2008 an Online Audio and Video Broadcasting Licence is needed to broadcast rich media content on the Internet in China. Applicants must be a state-owned sole proprietorship or holding unit with a legal person status. Apart form the license a network operators has to be choosen who holds the telecommunication business license for Internet access services. So far only around 120 licences for the hole of China have been issued, to state-owned TV stations and state-controlled media companies. Broadcasting videos or music without such a license holds the risk that the website site will be shut down.
How does banning web pages bother Chinese surfers? - 27/12/2007
Most of the 225 million Chinese internet users still go only to local websites, so banning western web pages does not effect them too much. The ban on Wikipedia for example is gradually lifting, but if someone keeps clicking sensitive topics on it, he or she will not be able to connect to the site for minutes or longer. The image sharing website Flickr can be viewed in China but users have to install certain browser plug-ins to see all the pictures on it. On the other hand the users with higher IT skills can still visit the blocked websites through a proxy server or through other ways.
