China Does U-Turn, Lifts Ban On Websites

krou sends in a Guardian (UK) article reporting that overnight talks with the International Olympic Committee have resulted in the Chinese government lifting a ban on websites such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the BBC Chinese language service "in Beijing, Shanghai and possibly further afield." Websites with information on the Falun Gong, Chinese dissidents, the Tibetan government in exile, and the 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests are still inaccessible. (We've been discussing Chinese Olympic censorship right along.) Quoting: "A spokesman for Amnesty International said: 'It's good news that our site has been unblocked in Olympic venues and perhaps elsewhere in Beijing, but it is still a long way from the "complete media freedom" promised. It seems public outrage has succeeded where the IOC's "quiet diplomacy" had failed.' Chinese engineers quoted in an article in the Atlantic Monthly said they had been told to prepare to unblock access for a list of specific internet protocol addresses to used by foreign visitors. But Andrew Lih, a new media author in Beijing, said it seemed the authorities might have simply decided it was easier to lift blocks for everyone. 'It's possible [to block individual locations] but would be very complicated,' he said."

Comments

U-Turn?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's no U-turn. At best, it's a hard left.

Re:U-Turn?

[4D6963]

That's no U-turn. At best, it's a hard left.

So that's more like a L-turn then?

Re:U-Turn?

[databyss]

What do you mean?

We've always been at war with the Eurasians.

Re:U-Turn?

[mrboyd]

Come the end of the game and everyone will see it's just a roundabout...

What better way?

[Anonymous Coward]

What better way to nail subversives ?

Let them convict themselves by allowing that whicvh is is deemed illegal in China ?
The Historical approach..

Interesting...

[The MAZZTer]

Didn't they say they were going to spy on visitors' traffic too? Nothing about that here, maybe they're hoping we'll forget.

If I was going, I'd take tor with me on my laptop. Also I'd buy a laptop first.

Re:Interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

American visitor dies in a robbery.

I confirm it!

[vivaoporto]

Right now I'm browsing the sites mentioned on TFA and nothing happ&/"$%& NO CARRIER

More Accurately

[Anonymous Coward]

China Does U-Turn, Lifts Ban On Certain Websites

Title is way too optimistic.

Re:More Accurately

[Kleinbottler]

China Does U-Turn, Lifts Ban On Certain Websites

Title is way too optimistic.

Totally agree. As an expat Beijing resident with press connections the story moves by the day. Bottom line is that while generally open at the moment (i.e. in the Olympic press center) there are still sites that are blocked including a China blog at a major US news outlet. The Chinese generally allow VPN but if you go to certain sites you will still be stopped. Free proxy servers are tissue paper and generally not useful. The authorities, from observation and experience, can and do target individual computers. The Chinese are getting cleverer and more subtle at "shaping" the internet landscape and where you can go. Overall bottom line is that whatever little concessions might be made to the press center users the control of internet access will get worse not better. People who give credit to the Chinese for the access they have allowed are living in lalaland. The Chinese are grudging every concession and reneging whenever they can.

Public outrage trumps diplomacy?

[corbettw]

You mean people actually doing something had more effect than other people talking about doing something? Color me shocked.

Re:Public outrage trumps diplomacy?

[jo42]

China's Olympic ambitions falter with protests
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080802/ap_on_re_as/china_battered_hopes

said Wu Jiaxiang, a former government researcher and now a blogger and businessman. "We care less about human rights than other countries and more about sovereignty. That's bound to create an awkward feeling among other countries."

They just don't get it, do they...

Re:Public outrage trumps diplomacy?

[flyingsquid]

In the wake of the tragic earthquake that hit China, I'd be tempted to go a little easier on China during the games. But now the government is using bribery and intimidation by the police to try to silence the parents of those children killed by faulty school construction.

I can't imagine any worse torture than that. Your child was killed by a substandard building, put up by a corrupt government. And every month, you get a cash payment, a pension that reminds you of that fact. And it reminds you that instead of seeking justice, instead of standing up for what was right and for your child, you've taken the easy way out. Maybe you're a good citizen, but by signing that form, you've admitted you've abandoned all attempts to be a good parent. I mean, I would want my parents to move on past my death, but I wouldn't want them to be bought off either, I'd want them to tell the government "hey, fuck you buddy". And if I lost a child, I'd want to fight to fix whatever led to that, not just sit there in silence. I don't know. I'd like to think that's what I'd do, anyway, but with a whole nation telling me to be silent, would I have the strength?

I don't know the answer, but this just makes me despise the Chinese government with a renewed passion. And for anyone who cares to stand up and protest this while the Olympics are happening- for the Chinese government's attempt to paint a big happy face over all its atrocities and indecencies against its people and against the human condition, I applaud you, and I wish you well.

Makes little difference

[eebra82]

I sincerely hope that the Olympic Committee doesn't think this is a major success. As long as China remains blocking web sites and other types of censorship, they should be banned from ever setting up the Olympic Games while such governing is taking place.

I'm looking forward to the Olympic Games in North Korea 2012. Apparently, Kim Jong Il is expected to beat 52 world records.

Re:Makes little difference

[negRo_slim]

Yes, I am full of hope for the armored train races. I maintain a good outlook that Kim shall triumph over his competitors.

How to Lift a Ban For Commies

[Nymz]

1) Ban 1000s of websites
2) Unban 3 of them
3) Claim the ban is lifted, as the other sites are only inaccessible
4) Fail!!!

Note: for those not familiar with the pun - For Dummies

Tempest in a teapot

[mu11ing1t0ver]

I'm surprised none of the stories about this mention how easy it is to VPN out of China and thus bypass any blocks they throw up.

Why Tor?

[Sycraft-fu]

The Chinese firewall doesn't block encrypted traffic. A far superior solution is to simply VPN to somewhere. That's what I do when traveling if I am in any location that I don't completely trust (airport or hotel network for example). I SSH to a server I have at home and tunnel traffic through the connection. It is then as though I was surfing at my house.

Re:Why Tor?

[DigiShaman]

I use XP. I've used a VPN connection (using it as my default gateway) from Shanghai to Houston. But browsing the web is much faster through a strait RDP session back to my desktop.

You would think screen refreshes would take more bandwidth then redirecting HTTP requests, but that doesn't seem to be the case in my experience.

Can everybody swallow the blue pill?

[jopsen]

I'm surprised none of the stories about this mention how easy it is to VPN out of China and thus bypass any blocks they throw up.

The problem is that ordinary citizens in China doesn't know what happen on Tiananmen Square in 1989. Do you seriously expect the average Chinese citizen to be able to get VPN out og China, and risk his/her life/career on it because the sites are illegal.

Re:Can everybody swallow the blue pill?

[pxlmusic]

chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature.

Re:Can everybody swallow the blue pill?

[lumierang]

I'm surprised none of the stories about this mention how easy it is to VPN out of China and thus bypass any blocks they throw up.

The problem is that ordinary citizens in China doesn't know what happen on Tiananmen Square in 1989. Do you seriously expect the average Chinese citizen to be able to get VPN out og China, and risk his/her life/career on it because the sites are illegal.

The ordinary citizens in China (at least those over 20) know quite well what happened on Tiananmen in 1989,just talk to any Chinese cab driver.

Most Chinese don't think it has much relevance to today's business. While they agree the government in 1989 committed horrible crimes, hell it is two decades ago and both China and Chinese government has changed a lot. Most of Chinese are happy with the current government.

As for Tiananmen square most think it will resolve over time . Even a lot of 1989 demostrators support the Chinese government.Here is an interesting interview.

Here I quote the most relevent part

" Q. But what Deng achieved - could he not have done it within a more democratic system? Did there have to be the ruthlessness?

After going to the US for five or six years, I saw that the level of democracy there can only happen in a society with a certain level of education. What the people of China now need is leadership. China is one century behind the US, and you canâ(TM)t expect us to change that fast.

This is why many Asians resent it when Americans try to insist that the Chinese adopt their style of democracy. Shanghai may be ready, but if you go out to the surrounding areas, youâ(TM)ll see it just isnâ(TM)t possible, that it will take more time. I believe that one day, China will have Taiwan-style democracy, but it has to be built on a strong economy.

Q. I agree that Western-style democracy isnâ(TM)t right for China today. But canâ(TM)t there be a compromise? Canâ(TM)t the government be strong, without tolerating abuse of the poor by corrupt officials, without tolerating the marginalization of AIDS victims, without arresting kids who write about government reform on the Internet?

The way we view human rights is so different from the Westâ(TM)s. We have 1.3 billion people and many of them go hungry. Putting food on the table and a roof over its peopleâ(TM)s heads is what our government has to worry about. AIDS, corruption, the Internet - that is all secondary to the leadership of 1.3 billion people. If I were running China today, I would not be able to hear all the different parties. I would have to have my own agenda and stick to that agenda. I believe that if a secret vote were held today most people in China would vote for the CCP.

For more than 150 years, starting with the Opium Wars, our national pride has been bullied by the Europeans, the Russians, then the Japanese. Now China is an economic and a military power. And it has no intentions of being aggressive. So I am not giving up my Chinese citizenship. Ten years ago I would have jumped to do that.

Looking back, I firmly believe the government did the right thing, though they could have handled it better. We paid a high price. Our leaders in 1989 could have shown greater human skills and greater negotiating skills. But letâ(TM)s live with Communism for now and change things one thing at a time. The Chinese now have a much better life than they did 100 years ago. Not so long ago, my house was the first in our hutong to have a television set. The whole neighborhood would come to our backyard and sit on the ground to watch. It was just a 9-inch TV, and we put a la

Re:Can everybody swallow the blue pill?

[Daemonax]

Not actually true. I'm currently living in southern China, and the common people know what happened... The problem is that it's a social taboo to mention it, they're scared to talk about it, and they'll get angry if a foreigner brings it up and reminds them. It's a rather sad state of affairs, but I have met some people here that are very critical of the current situation with regards to freedom of speech and are willing to talk about the problems the country has. It's a shame that the common people won't talk about it though. They say they love their country, but I don't think they know what that really means. I myself love China, I love the people, the food, the mountains, the rivers, the old buildings and lots more... But there are problems with China, and I hope they'll be fixed soon.

You really think China can break AES?

[Sycraft-fu]

That's what SSH (and most VPNs) use. It is the most tested cryptosystem in history. It has been signed off on by, well, everyone pretty much in the crypto field. After years of concerted effort, still no way to break it has been found.

Now if you want to life in AFDB land, go right ahead. However it seems extremely unlikely that anyone, much less the Chinese government, can break AES. As such, a VPN is a good solution.

Re:You really think China can break AES?

[Sycraft-fu]

Because they are new to the cryptography game and don't have the computing resources of many other countries. It seems extremely unlikely that even the NSA can break AES (given that they've certified it for top secret data) and when it comes to crypto, they are the best in the business. They are to information espionage what the KGB was to physical espionage. If I'd bet on anyone being able to figure out how to break a cryptosystem without anyone else knowing, the NSA would be my bet.

Regardless, my primary point is I find it extremely unlikely AES has been broken. It is an open algorithm that underwent an exceedingly rigorous selection process. Because of that, it was scrutinized. Once it was selected and made the official AES standard, it then underwent even more. As I said, it's the most tested cryptosystem out there. Thus far, it has held up wonderfully. So basically for a break to happen, there'd have to be a new field of math developed that would allow for some new way of attacking it. That seems very unlikely to happen, and I find it unlikely the MSS have already done so.

Re:You really think China can break AES?

[flosofl]

Because they are new to the cryptography game and don't have the computing resources of many other countries.

Well, these days raw computing power is only one way of breaking crypto. In fact, I'd say that it would be the tool of last resort. Much more common is looking for mathematical flaws in the algorithms. And when it comes to raw talent in mathematics, I'd put China up there at the top of the heap with the NSA.

Remember that Chinese researchers are the ones that discovered collision weaknesses in MD5 and SHA-1, and then found a computationally low (relatively speaking) method of creating arbitrary collisions with those same algorithms. Yes, they were "just" hash algorithms, but they need to be just as robust as symmetric crypto algorithms. So if there *is* a weakness in AES, I would be willing to bet that the Chinese already know it. (I'm not saying there is, AES should do the job fine over there).

Re:What better way?

[Ethanol-fueled]

(1) Allow the entire region freedom online while the Olympics are going on
(2) Profit!
(2) Remember which of your own citizens accessed dissedent material,keep tabs on 'em.
(3) After the Olympics leaves China consult the list of new dissidents.
(4) Have them quietly made into unpersons.

Sure, The Leopard Can Change it Spots

[curmudgeon99]

Sure, I get it. China feels like it is getting a black eye. So they think they can put makeup on that black eye by suddenly opening access. We're not fooled. They are a censoring country and they're going to stay that way. The Leopard can't change his spots and China is not going to change what they're doing.

Facts instead of speculation

[hweimer]

I configured Tor to use a Chinese exit node. Here are my results:

- Chinese Wikipedia: accessible (used to be blocked)
- BBC Chinese (via bbcchinese.com): blocked
- BBC Chinese (via direct URL): accessible
- Article on Tibet in English Wikipedia: accessible (used to be blocked)
- Human Rights in China: blocked