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China Wants US-Owned Hotels to Censor Internet

Posted by timothy on from the because-china's-an-autocracy-that's-why dept.

jp_papin writes "The Chinese government is demanding that US-owned hotels there filter Internet service during the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, US Senator Sam Brownback has alleged. The Chinese government is requiring US-owned hotels to install Internet filters to 'monitor and restrict information coming in and out of China,' Brownback said Thursday. 'This is an insult to the spirit of the games and an affront to American businesses,' he said. 'I call on China to immediately rescind this demand.' US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said he wasn't aware of those specific requests from the Chinese government, but Brownback said he got the information on Internet filtering from 'two different reliable but confidential sources.' The State Department is apparently continuing dialog with China about freedom of expression."

5 of 279 comments (clear)

  1. Why not pull out our athletes until... by mikelieman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why not pull out our athletes out of the games until China adopts a default policy of Freedom and Liberty?

    Fuck that Censorshit!

    I'll take good old US Style Blanket Surveillance any-day!

    Thanks AT&T! For keeping us safe by spying on us for the Bush Gang -- even if it is completely unlawful to do so!

    --
    Technology -- No Place For Wimps! Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Chatroom -- http://www.wemissjerry.org
  2. Re:China wants hotels in China to follow Chinese L by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Do these US senators expect Chinese hotels in the US to follow US law? If so, then why the shock?


    Hell, a lot of hotels in the U.S. aren't even owned by U.S. companies, their owned by the Japanese. That's true, at least, of every single hotel in Hawaii.

    Of course we expect these hotels to operate in accordance with U.S. law. Of course, the thing is that the Japanese tend to always seek excellenece in their endeavors -- and, in their view, excellence includes strict compliance with the law.

    OTOH, many hotels owned by American companies and individuals don't operate in accordance with U.S. law -- cleanliness standards that aren't up to state and federal health codes, employing undocumented workers as housekeeping staff.

    So uhh...what is it they're screaming and handwaving about again?
    --
    My blog
  3. Newsflash! by johannesg · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In China, even *Americans* must obey Chinese law! Gee, who would have thought?

    Don't like it? Your options are:

    1. Don't do business there.
    2. Ask them to change their laws. Good luck with that.
    3. The Iraq thing. Good luck with that too.

    A hotel is not an embassy; Chinese law applies within its walls.

  4. IOC is not US or "any other freedom loving person" by Per+Abrahamsen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    IOC doesn't even pretend to care about freedom. All they care about is money, while pretending to care about sport. [ Quite unlike the US, which only cares about money, while pretending to care about freedom. ]

  5. Re:skeptical by audunr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While visiting an Internet cafe in China, a friend of mine used her university VPN connection to be able to browse sites that her university has subscription access to. Some time later, a guy comes into the cafe and asks her to leave. Politely, but still, if the reason was her VPN use then that's really, really scary. And probably happens every day...