Friday 4 April 2008

Censorship and China (once more)

Again a week with China and the Olympics. Can't avoid the subject.
This one is interesting: the Olympic Committee has asked China to lift its Firewall. Put aside (momentarily) the cynism of the request, I love what the request stands for: the fact that China could well acknowledge it has a firewall, which it never did up to now (even denied it if I remember well).
Going to the request itself, well, two interpretations which actually can be found in the comments attached to the post on TechDirt: the request does not engage much more the Committee nor China, for what matters is.... making money. Better to lift the veil temporarily to get the maximum profits both for the West ... and for China! Or else the Committee would have a change of heart? well in that case, why not ask for lifting of censorship indefinitely, not simply while the games are there? Plus, is the COmmittee really serious about human rights when it has allowed games in a country not only reknown for its continuous violations of basic human rights but also for its constant refusal to improve (see Tibet as the latest example...) and make the slightest concession
"IOC: No Chinese Internet Filters During Olympics; All Other Times It's Fine" (1 April 2008)http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080401/105659717.shtml

Similar issue with iTunes http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080825/2219562089.shtml (26 August2008)

2 comments:

Audrey Guinchard said...

Would Russia join the club? See http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080423/185834933.shtml (24 April 2008)

Audrey Guinchard said...

And Malaysia, for political purposes also, asking ISPs to block contents...
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080828/2301332130.shtml (29 August 2008) "As Bloggers Take Office In Malaysia, Gov't Orders ISPs To Block Certain Blogs"