Verso Trials Skype Blocking in China

An anonymous reader writes to tell us MacWorld is reporting that Verso, a US company based in Atlanta, GA, has just begun a paid trial for 'NetSpective'. Verso hopes to use NetSpective, and M-Class filter to block VoIP calls made using Skype in China. From the article: "While Verso said in its release that the use of Skype is illegal in China, the situation is more nuanced. Chinese government officials have been generally tolerant of VoIP software, such as Skype, that is used to make calls from one PC to another. But the ability of Skype users to make calls to a phone via the SkypeOut service is more sensitive, because this directly affects the revenue that operators such as China Telecom earn from international phone calls." This seems to be just another in the continuing campaign of China vs VoIP.

Comments

*sigh* well tell me SBC wouldn't love it?

[saikou]

If these filters really work, wouldn't US carriers love to have them? Especially if there will be no enforcement of carrier neutrality? You get to use your network AND block activities that reduce your revenue in other wings of the business...

It seems a common theme..

[ztransform]

.. of a lot of slashdot posts is the way laws are used for profit and self-gain as opposed to development and sustainability of the people in general. Which is sad.

A lot of us became techies or engineers or what-not in the interests of making the world a better place for all. And we are constantly thwarted and bombarded by people with "business" or "political" sense.. (ie people with almost purely selfish and short-sighted motivations).

Will the power balance ever change.. is it possible for someone with a motivation to assist society in general to make it into a powerful position?

Supporting opression for a buck

[guanxi]

What's the difference between companies like Verso, Yahoo, Cisco and Google which help the Chinese Communists oppress people, and the oil companies, industrial giants, and weapons manufacturers that have supported tyrants in exhange for access to their markets?

How many innocent people are in jail, or worse, because of their help? How much more free would the Chinese people be, and how much weaker would the Communist grip on power be, if it wasn't for the assistance of these tech companies? "Don't be evil"? -- How impressive and bold that they support free software, but not freedom (as in speech) for human beings.

It's easy for me to say; I don't have to take the risk. These companies certainly have a difficult dilemma and have other responsibilities to shareholders and employees. In their position, everyone wants to say, 'I just want to keep my head down and mind my own business'. Taking sides is a risky, costly, sometimes wasted (if Cisco doesn't provide firewalls, someone else will) and often unappreciated sacrifice.

But I think that with their power comes responsibility, and their freedom is due to the sacrifices of those who came before them. I would think Jerry Yang (Yahoo founder, born in Taiwan) and Sergey Brin (Google founder, born under Communist rule in the then USSR) would be especially sensitive to this issue.

(In fairness, I only have heard second hand what Google, Yahoo and Cicso do in China. Verso seems to proudly advertise their support for the Chinese Communists. And this publicity is probably helping their share price.)

Re:Remember kids...

[EiZei]

It's not really about free speech here. It's just the chinese goverment protecting it's profits.

Well.. guess that's why the corporations seem to get so well along with these guys.

Re:Spreading Democracy

[Greyfox]

Because China has an army roughly the size of the population of the USA, nuclear weapons and trade deficit IOUs for approximately the GDP of the USA for the next 3000 years. Also they don't have much oil since all the dinosaurs in the country were eaten by giant flesh eating pandas.

This all adds up to the fact that China can do whatever it wants to do and the US Government won't say a thing. And US companies will do whatever makes them money unless the US Government legislates, which they won't do. See point 1.