China Continues to Shut Down Video Sites

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "It's not just YouTube that's blocked in China. After the unrest in Tibet, at least 25 video sharing sites have been shut down and others have been penalized. While the Chinese government is not admitting that violence in Tibet had anything to do with it, they do have a sudden interest in strictly enforcing licensing restrictions that require video sharing websites to register with the government. Among other things, Chinese video sharing sites must promise not to show videos that inspire fear, contain pornography, or endanger national security."

Comments

National Security?

[calebt3]

I haven't seen many Youtube videos that endanger the US's national security...

universal translator: active

[v1]

inspire fear, contain pornography, or endanger national security

Lets see. inspire fear ... that'd be inspire fear in the government leaders that the people might SEE what they're really doing

or, contain pornography ... as in, see the government naked and have some of their dirty secrets exposed for all to see

and finally, endanger national security would be endanger their position of power by inciting unrest

There, that's better.

What is wrong with the IOC

[Anonymous Coward]

Haven't they learned from the 1936 and 1980 Olympics? A totalitarian government might promise the IOC that they will be more open and peaceful if they are allowed to host the Olympic Games, but they will not honor it. Perhaps this will be the first Olympic Games where the government hosting the games is massacring people while the athletes compete.

Personally, I think it is time that the Olympics are removed from the control of the IOC. The games in China should also be canceled.

Re:What is wrong with the IOC

[Anonymous Coward]

Shrug. IOC values are fascist values, always have been. The olympics is to be reviled, not lauded.

Re:What is wrong with the IOC

[Idiomatick]

Massacres??? I tend to keep up with the news. I hope you have some proof to back up this very strong news. I think i'll assume you are referring to tibet.

Its funny when you see human rights violations in the US people go thats shameful, we are better than this. Alot of people blaming corporations. Or saying theres nothing that can be done. When there are rights abuses in china, there is no question, the country is the embodiment of the devil. You are so harsh and judging, final in your judgment.

And the suggestions flow forth, cancel the games! Oh because that would help, that way china wont be under the scrutiny of millions of visitors and they don't have to worry about having to bend to the will of all the countries that visit. They WANT to make a good impression otherwise they wouldnt be hosting the games. So let them try, its foolish to do otherwise.

Then lets sanction them! Oh wait, that will hurt the whole world as much or more than China. And the harm it will do in China, make the poor poorer. Make technology like internet/phones/cameras beyond the reach of most people. Because we wouldn't want the average person to have access to these things, take it away as punishment. To what end? Force an unarmed rebellion? The idea is laughable, you'll just be aiding in the starvation of 100s of thousands of civilians. But sanctions have worked so well in N.Korea, Iran, Cuba, Palestine... Oh yeah, it hasnt, its just given the countries reason to hate. Its killed civilians and lowered the std of life for millions of people. The reasons sanctions are in place isnt a noble one, its a war measure used to starve enemies to death. A veritable siege on whole countries.

Don't get me started on Tibet. The country has basically been under Chinese rule until 1904 where the brits invaded. Tibet signed a treaty with the brits seperate from China. Then China retook the area in 1950. The country has been under chinese control currently LONGER than it had ever been apart from China. The dalai lama doesn't even want independence. But people have taken the publicity of the olympic games to try and incite riots and insurrection. I can't imagine the average person in tibet even wants this anymore. Those riots are what have caused the recent deaths in China. Not the government going in execution style. I'm not saying China doesn't have a big part in it. But the rioters are looting and burning down homes, lighting cars on fire. OBVIOUSLY this is something the police should try to quell even if they are doing a messy job of it. The rioters are trying to make martyrs of themselves. Infact they are doing the exact same things people in palestine do, but when it happens there its terrorism.

This blatant racism and moral superiority disgusts me. Keep an open mind and pretend it was the states shooting terrorists. I'm not saying human rights in china are as good as in the US at all. I'm not saying they don't need to be changed. But china isn't the devil nor is communism. You aren't making things better by viewing things this way.

Re:What is wrong with the IOC

[kvezach]

I'll tell you what's wrong with the IOC: All the committee-members in their rooms, dancing and singing...

Money, money, money
always sunny
in the rich man's world...

Re:What is wrong with the IOC

[1u3hr]

Don't get me started on Tibet. The country has basically been under Chinese rule until 1904 where the brits invaded. Tibet signed a treaty with the brits seperate from China. Then China retook the area in 1950. The country has been under chinese control currently LONGER than it had ever been apart from China.

Don't get ME started on what a load of bullshit that is.

China claimed sovereignty of Tibet, as it did for many neighbouring countries, such as Vietnam and Korea at various times. In practice, these countries may have paid tribute to Beijing, but Beijing never administered these regions. Tibet was an independent kingdom for most of the last two or three thousand years. A thousand years ago it actually controlled a large part of what is now China.

The dalai lama doesn't even want independence.

Of course he does. But he knows China would destroy Tibet rather than grant it. He's no fool. Asking for that would just give China another stick to beat him with.

China is wiping out Tibetan culture at a fast pace, the only leverage the Tibetans have is international pressure, and in the Olympic year China cannot simply ignore it as it would do normally. They have little hope of success, but this is their last chance before their country is swamped by Chinese immigration and they become fringe slum dwellers in their own land.

Re:What is wrong with the IOC

[zdude255]

Well, if it's any consolation, having China host the Olympics is probably going to bring change one way or another. Bringing journalists from every other country in the world to China doesn't sound like something a government that likes to control everything wants. There may be an international media backlash at China's state censorship as a result of the games.

Re:What is wrong with the IOC

[1u3hr]

And heres a timeline for tibet:

Source? Authority? -- can I suggest this is a Chinese version of history. China has a habit of claiming sovereignty over much of the world. Everybody who sent an envoy to Peking was considered to be a "vassal".

And in any case, once a country becomes independent, as you admit happened in 1904, the foreign imperial power can't just say 50 years later "We want it back". Or should Mongolia claim the right to rule China because they conquered it once? Can Japan claim Manchuria and Korea? Can the UK take back the USA? Can the French take back Britain? Can the Romans take back all of Europe? Can the Macedonians take back Iran?

And consider: If "China" ever has sovereignty, that was Imperial China, a country that ceased to exist in 1911. And that was succeeded by the Republic of China, which exists now only in Taiwan. And the PRC has existed only from 1949.

China's claim on Tibet is simply based on force of arms, they have no right, moral or legal.

long live Tor

[mwilliamson]

Run a tor node! Remove the potential for censure of information by oppressive regimes like China, Cuba and _[insert favorite oppressive country here]_ http://tor.eff.org/

Re:long live Tor

[Artuir]

You can't hope for change when you decide it is best to simply submit. Do you honestly think the government in China will change without loss of life? Too late for that.

Re:long live Tor

[DerangedAlchemist]

Maybe it's time for the people of China to grow a (collective) pair of balls and rise up in revolution.

Why would you be willing to fight a revolution for Communism, but not for freedom? It just doesn't make any sense. That's tough talk when US citizens aren't even willing to vote out a president who is removing citizens' rights. Or US news stations aren't will to risk viewer by pointing out obvious facts like Iraq had no ties to the Taliban (but Saudi Aria does.)

Maybe propaganda is more more powerful than you think.

Everyone Says "Fuck China"

[Skeetskeetskeet]

But the majority of you will go to Wal-Mart at some point in the next 3 days and buy goods made from China. So who's winning the war here?

Hero

[Fantastic Lad]

Most nations believe their own propaganda, thinking that "Only our enemies use propaganda on their people". --Until, that is, things starts to get really bad politically. The U.S., in spite of everything, is waking up. It's to the point now that only the slowest of the slow learners don't sigh in disgust when Fox News is mentioned, (though many have yet to recognize just how wide-spread the programming is at this point, but that awareness is coming, albeit slowly).

That being said, China is fskced. I've met some native Chinese who came here to go to school, and the propaganda they carry with them is unreal. "One China" anybody? That freaky film, "Hero" canonizing a butcher pretty much sums that one up. And I've met people who have lived here for over a decade who still hunch up and look frightened when you ask them what they think of the Chinese government. Like abuse victims. I guess the truncheons haven't fully come out yet in the U.S., and real information is still being controlled through ridicule rather than simply being locked down.

I've heard the U.S. described as the largest social experiment on the planet; the objective being to see if it is possible to fully control people without the use of force. Kind of like a beef farmer letting their cattle think they're living happy, free lives when in fact almost every thought and decision is dictated.

-FL

Other reasons : avoiding students

[DrYak]

We will be forced to leave our campus before the Olympic games open, because the college's gym shall be used by the athelets as a place of training (some say they are the USA swimming team).

I think another reason that is also pleasing the government a lot is that this will keep all these students away from the camera of international journalist.
You know, with all these habits that we students worldwide have of protesting and organising processions and strikes, it's good side effect that the campus will be closed, just in case if some Chinese students decided to overcome their fears and copy us trying some of the silly stuff that the foreign colleagues are doing.
It would be specially embarrassing since they won't be able to handle potential students protest the usual way (it's not very encouraged to send tank against students in front of cameras).

Except that if the government had said "Students aren't allowed to express publicly their political opinion" the whole western world would be complaining about attacks to their freedom of speech. Whereas "China announce it will happily lend its Colleges' gyms so athlete can win, saddly this means that the duration of the students summer break will have to be extended" suddenly sounds a lot more benevolent. The government hit two birds with single stone : They both do us a favor giving a place to our athlete and managed do discretely shut the Chinese students up.

Re:China fatigue...

[Paul server guy]

Damn, I wanted to mod the parent up, but I HAD to respond to this.

You just do. You do because you have to. You do because you want Freedom that bad that no price is too high. When you would give everything for Freedom, you can have Freedom.

Against smart infantry, Tanks are easy. They taught us a dozen different way in the Marines. Missiles are tougher, but so what. You just inflict more personal painful damage to them. It is next to impossible for the Insurgents to loose a war they really want. (There's my excuse for the few that did.) Hell, Look how much damage the Iraqi's are inflicting on the finest fighting force on the Earth today. The only way to win that war will be to either kill everyone, or to hold on until enough generations will have gone by for everyone to have forgotten.

And if the US and Iraq were the same country? (ie. a civil war) The US would be loosing, because the political leaders would be dieing, and the supply lines are short enough that they can be "shared".

When the People Really Want It. They will do whatever they have to. They will suffer any cost to have Freedom. And not a second before, and that's why the US is loosing in Iraq.

And that's why the US is loosing to itself. The people forgot what Freedom is all about, and they'd rather have Brittany and Paris and 'Who wants to make a million/tell the truth/survivor whatever the fuck is polluting their minds today.'

When the People really want Freedom, They'll have it. No matter what the cost.

Until then, they'll have whatever they're allowed...