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China Censors Web To Curb Inner Mongolia Protests

Posted by timothy on from the call-it-inmo-for-short dept.

angry tapir writes "China is blocking mention of Inner Mongolia on Chinese microblogs and social networking sites, as part of an effort to clamp down on protests that broke out last week in the region. Two of the most popular microblog services operating in China no longer allow users to search for the term 'Inner Mongolia.' Sina's and Tencent's microblogs have 140 million and 160 million users, respectively."

8 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. China and US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At least the Chinese only censor the web (for national security) inside their own country. US on the other hand tries to censor it around the world for something little like downloading one mp3.

    1. Re:China and US by khallow · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There's a difference between "try" and "censor". I also like how the US censors for "something little" while China censors for "national security". There's always someone to equivocate the vile actions of China to the considerably less vile actions of the US.

    2. Re:China and US by harrytuttle777 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The U.S. Government has sold out to the highest bidder and no longer has the interest of the citizen at heart. In your example the highest bidder is Big pharma. In times it was the Chines Government. (Clinton and the bags of cash from PRC). Tomorrow, it will be the Mexican government.

      -A country destroys itself from within long before the enemies can do so from without.
      -But then again according to You-tube I am a faggot, so you should not listen to anything I say.

    3. Re:China and US by Hal_Porter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually if you look at the list porn is not a very high percentage

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_blacklisted_keywords_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China

      I.e. they ban Playboy so they can claim to be blocking porn to protect the innocent Chinese people from lascivious foreigners. Pretty much everything else on the list is there because the government wants to stop Chinese people discussing things like Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen.

      Funny how Americans here will often claim that the US government claims to be doing things for one reason but is really doing them for a completely different (and completely self serving) one but assume that people running an extremely ruthless one party state with strict censorship will act rationally in the best interests of the majority of their people.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  2. chinese wikileaks - where are you? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I can't help but wonder where wikileaks is on this subject. There was soo much hope and potential for wikileaks to be universally recognised across countries, continents and cultures as being pro liberty. Sadly the recent diversions have hindered this cause.

  3. In the future... by Gaygirlie · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I actually fully await for the US to start doing something similar some day. The PROTECT IP Act. et. al. are already a good way in the same direction, the next logical step would be "PROTECT CHILDREN Act" or "PROTECT INNOCENCE Act" which would allow the government to start censoring material for "ethical reasons."

  4. Interesting, No mention of this in China Daily by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I did a search in China Daily http://search.chinadaily.com.cn/all_en.jsp?searchText=Inner+Mongolia+&searchword=Inner+Mongolia and these is no mention of this story at all. The entire story may very well be a fabrication by anti-revolutionary forces.

    I am in China, there really has been no mention of it. And you can be sure I posted Anonymously for this one.

  5. Re:Fuck off Chairman Mao by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes, you have the right to say what you want. Actually, you're encouraged to and almost badgered to do it. Because our powers have noticed something: Nobody cares. Worse, since everyone may say what they want, we believe actually the bull that we're free to say what we want. Which is actually true.

    We're just not free to listen to anyone we want.

    Or, more accurately, our powers noticed that it does not matter whether me or you say something, not even when done in a blog or other means to make it public past the reach of our voice when standing on a soap box. Why? 'cause nobody listens. Duh. Only if you start saying things they don't like AND you get an audience, that's when they get active.

    So, essentially, you're free to say what you want. Just hope you don't get too many to listen or you might be in trouble.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.