China Blocks YouTube
- Categories: International, News
- Date: Mar 26, 2009 10:13 JST
- Tags: Censorship, China, Internet, Politics, YouTube
Chinese Internet users have recently been completely unable to access YouTube, the popular video service operated by US search firm, Google. The service had apparently been blocked by Chinese authorities.
YouTube has of course previously been censored, but in this case the length of the block is exceptional.
The blockage coincides with the posting of a video on YouTube allegedly showing police beating a Tibetan demonstrator to death. Chinese authorities were quick to label the video as being fake.
The “fake” clip in question (YouTube has been deleting them, so it’s clear where their loyalties lie, as if there was any doubt):
When asked about the YouTube controversy, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry told reporters “Many people have a false impression that the Chinese government fears the Internet. In fact it is just the opposite.”
“China’s Internet is open enough, but also needs to be regulated by law in order to prevent the spread of harmful information, and for national security” he went on.
He then boasted of China’s 300 million Internet users and 100 million blogs; he denied knowledge of YouTube being blocked.
The Chinese have typically kept a tight rein on the Internet and have frequently blocked access to websites the government finds objectionable.
Google and YouTube have been previously blocked in China for brief periods, mostly as a response to specific videos that had content critical of the government. Simply blocking individual pages in this case apparently did not send a message the government finds appropriate.
Earlier this year, China also began a crackdown on a number of sites on the Internet, resulting in the closure of hundreds of sites, including a popular blogging site and several sites popular with Tibetans.
With the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests coming later this year, analysts believe that China is making a preemptive strike to stifle any dissent before it can occur.
There is no word on when YouTube will become accessible again in China.
Via Reuters.
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ok thats hard oO
i mean even the message that some of the vids i want to look at are
blocked by my Nation is annoying like hell, but blocking whole youtube is sick ^^"
Guys, the Tibet videos are only just a red herring, an excuse for the Party to conceal something even more embarrassing.
Fact is, all sorts of videos putting the Party in a bad light (including Tibet-related ones) have existed in YouTube since time immemorial.
What is really driving the Party crazy enough to want to block the video is really down to a peculiar named internet-meme creature, known only as "caonima" (草泥馬, literally "grass mud horse").
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baidu_10_mythical_creatures#Cao_ni_ma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01RPek5uAJ4
If you know your Mandarin, you'll realize instantly that "caonima" sounds uncannily like "fuck your mother" (操你媽). While the "hexie" (河蟹 river crab) in the lyrics of the video link above sounds similar to the current Party doctrine of "harmony" (和諧).
By clever use of puns to criticize the Party, the netizens have at last managed to bypass the blockade of the Great Firewall, leaving the Party going bonkers as to how to block them, and using the Tibet vids as an excuse to try and wipe out the contagiousness of the caonima once and for all.
Thing is, they're just gonna come up with all sorts of puns that their filters will eventually become redundant.
Typo, second paragraph should be "What is really driving the Party crazy enough to want to block YouTube"
When it comes to censorship the first rule is:
Don't call it censorship and don't let others know about it.
Therefore I expect this site to be blocked as well.
Governments fear the internet for the simple reason that it's hard to control and to bring into line when compared to regular media like newspapers, radio or TV. The decentralized nature makes it hard to control the exchange of views on the net.
It's every rulers wet dream to control the net. While countries like China are currently trying harder than others to censor the net this doesn't mean that the people living in democratic countries should leave their guard down.
Sooner or later the ruling powers will try to take control over the net by trying to make internet censorship palatable to its people. They usually do this by using pretences like fighting terrorism, hate speech or CP.
Quite the opposite? The internet fears the Chinese government?
So glad they Chinese government blocked youtube. Now I dont have to see those chinese kids flaming my country (Taiwan) every single video I look at.
yay great, JUST LIKE MALAYSIA.
what's with malaysia?
“China’s Internet is open enough, but also needs to be regulated by law in order to prevent the spread of harmful information, and for national security”
More like, in order to prevent the truth being spread among the sheeps, so they keep quite.
*Facepalm* China.. Not again.. ._.
“Many people have a false impression that the Chinese government fears the Internet. In fact it is just the opposite.”
The internet fears China.
You stole my comment ಠ_ಠ...
communism is cool Chinese quality.
Even though i'm a Chinese(overseas), well what the hell! F&@K the conservative, communist,stubborn Chinese(CHINA).REPUBLIC COUNTRY MY ASS!!!
Things like this make me very ashamed to be in the same race as them.
+1
+1
cant see the video anymore ...
“Many people have a false impression that the Chinese government fears the Internet. In fact it is just the opposite.”
lol wtf!?
so i take it that it's the internet is afraid of the "oh-so-great" government of china? wow, just wow...
And who said China is now open and no longer a communist country?
The gov't is indeed keeping CHINA QUALITY within their country...
Yah, CHINA QUALITY again FTW!
google was created in canada >____>
libérer la Corse!
Free Corsica!
Free Alaska！
WEll, I am in CHINA and using YOUtube through an Uncensoring software...
Its " Free Gate" software. Google it!
“Many people have a false impression that the Chinese government fears the Internet. In fact it is just the opposite.”
so, the internet fears china?? what?
我在想那！！！！怪不得
The Australian Government fears the internet also, they're making a internet censorship right now! once again it sucks to be me >:|
If you live in China then go under there ridiculous censorship by using a proxy;
http://www.proxyboxonline.com/
I'm sick of this goddamn BS going on between china and youtube, its the third time happening, i dont care what the problem is, whether techincal or political, JUST STOP BREAKING MY BALLS. I dont think its blocked deliberately tho, China has copied tons of youtubes - you know, they dont know what intellectual property is- . if youtube was banned on purpose so would all the monkey sh*t copysites.
but I am proud to be seeing brave Chinese soldier defend against wild Tibetan! Chinese need to defend against threat from Tibet! China should all see this wonderful video of brave soldier in action!
they used to say the japanese is trying to hide their gruesome killing and torture the chinese during world war... now it seems they are learning to understand why japanese do so... buaaahahahahahhahahaa
Internet is very serious business in China.
but they can't close the internets, or block it for their 300 millions users, if there is a connection there is a way!
Media control is so common, there's nothing about democratic in countries nowadays. Ideas like rights, democracy, choice are all 'twisted' around government's vision of the country.
Bleh, if you think censorship of media is making the world go backwards, think again, most people aren't realised they are actually more of choosers rather than sovereign actors, contrary to what the 'open' media tries to protray (lulz at consumer's choice)...
Try living in China, then you might actually appreciate what a free internet, press and media is actually worth. Until you have lived under an authoritarian military dictatorship you really have no idea what you are talking about.
Doesn't blocking all of youtube just bring attention to the fact that they're trying to cover their asses because more shit about them got out that they don't want people to see? Couldn't they just block the video?
Streisand effect.
A typical day
In China they have Controled Liberty of Expression ^_^
And freedom of speech.
In the US they just hope that no big amount of people ever gets interested in expressing themselves. Who's superior?
im sory but did u forget who made youtube? AMARICANS!!
“Many people have a false impression that the Chinese government fears the Internet. In fact it is just the opposite.”
i must say i lol'd
china ftl
Since China is so good at piracy, why don't they pirate the internet? Like pirate radio stations, someone provide a pirate signal through satillites.
They don't need satellite, all they need is a browser that allows them to bypass the block.
That video is double plus ungood.
Will have minitrue recdep make correct.
Why'd the police let the guy with the camera record that in the first place? I would think that they'd confiscate the camera and beat him up too.
I wondered that too.
Must have had it very well concealed and kept back behind the action. Though I wonder why he wasn't shooed off anyway.
He seems to have tried hard not to show any faces in the video, though.
Which adds to the possibility of a fake.
Though I'm rather unlikely to believe that.
then,this video may be a fake...perhaps someone had directed it...haha, who could they be ??