great_firewall.jpg

    New Scientist and Reuters

Flickr is the latest casualty of China’s ongoing battle to control the internet. Wikipedia and a raft of other popular websites, discussion boards and blogs have already fallen victim to the country’s censors.

Yang Zhou is no cyber-dissident, but recent curbs on his web surfing habits by China’s censors have him fomenting discontent about China’s “Great Firewall.”

Yang’s fury erupted a few days ago when he found he could not browse his friend’s holiday snaps on Flickr.com, due to access restrictions by censors after images of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre were posted on the photo-sharing website.

Yang just thinks it’s a pain. “I just want to look at some photos! What’s wrong with that?” says the 24-year-old accountant, typical of millions of young urban-dwelling professionals who are increasingly aware of and fed up with state intrusions into their private life.

Maybe the great Chinese Cyber Revolution is coming. Cripes…ain’t communism great?
Found by Bubba Martin.


  1. alger says:

    Also blocked and/or filtered in Germany, Iran, UAE, etc.. Latest discussion in Flickr forums think Chinese filtering is just incompetent. Either that or they’ve switched to Vista.

  2. bobbo says:

    2. In any case, such websites are great for pornographers who prey on CHILDREN. We should look to outlawing photographs in the GOUSA as well. Once again, China shows us the way.

  3. sdf says:

    “I just want to look at some photos! What’s wrong with that?”
    Surely a husband’s lament the world over.

  4. Gig says:

    China- Yang Zhou was put to death to day for counter-revolutionary activities. Yang is survived by a wife, Youg and son Zing who will be spending the next 20 years in a labor camp for re-education. Yang was preceided in death by an unknown number of children that were forceably aborted.

    In other news China signs yet another trade pact with USA.

    As you said, “ain’t communism great?” Why do business with these people is beyond me.

  5. Sounds the Alarm says:

    #4 – because its cheep and we’re sheep.

  6. OhForTheLoveOf says:

    #5 – I really hate that you are right about that.

  7. Angel H. Wong says:

    #7

    Ayup!

    That’s why if some “genius” at the office decided to implement a Confucian style management… Leave the place.

  8. TheGlobalWarmer says:

    The Chinese don’t realize that firewalls have anything to do with the Algorenet – they think they’re for containing actual fires and they’re using them to try and lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

  9. Mister Justin says:

    7,

    China is the hallowed “Third Way”. Free markets and oppressed people. It’s the corporatists wet dream! Any government with no regard for the citizenry except as a tax base would L-O-V-E to have Chinese style “communism”.

  10. hhopper says:

    Actually thegreatfirewallofchina.org is pretty interesting:

    http://greatfirewallofchina.org/test/

    Dvorak Uncensored is blocked by China!!!!

  11. OhForTheLoveOf says:

    #10 – Yes… It’s the future American way…

    I’d rather have oppressed corporations and free people… But that ain’t happening soon.

  12. TheGlobalWarmer says:

    I, for one, welcome the blockage of our new Chinese overlords…

  13. OmegaMan says:

    Oh man….my blog is blocked! Its only technical information…..

  14. OhForTheLoveOf says:

    #13 – Now THAT is funny.

    But I’d rather block the ports that receive imported Chinese foodstocks.

  15. hhopper says:

    Guess what!? Disney.com is blocked too. I wonder if that thing is accurate.

  16. Frank says:

    As I posted earlier – not yet approved though – that Flickr, dvorak, wikipedia websites are not currently blocked in China – because I live and work in China and I can log on – and I can post here…

    BBC news has been blocked in China for years even through anonymous e.org server which can side step many blocked sites.

    However CNN and others of that ilk are not. It has been said that anonymous.org, the China firewall backdoor, has been left alone so that expats can still some freedom.

    The irony is not many Chinese ever surf the internet in English and the ones that do are mostly residents in other countries… so WTF?

    The greatfirewallofchina.org site is obviously not to be trusted – John C.D how about sending me a list of web sites you are anyone wants tested accurately in the real (Chinese) world and I’ll try to log on and report back to you ‘yah or nay’. This is better than the ‘daytime TV’ type of speculation – shi bo shi (Chinese for right or wrong)?

    On a final note another irony is the greatfirewallofchina.org site itself IS blocked in China! LOL!

  17. Frank says:

    …Oh by the way Disney.com is NOT blocked in China…forgot to mention that. Another ‘nail’ on the accuracy of greatfirewallofchina.org?

  18. bobbo says:

    19—Could you think about it and repost a 1-2 sentence statement of what the (Chinese) take-away of your posts is?

    China is oppressive. Now, quibble away.

  19. Frank says:

    Sure – Easy

    Most of what people think of China TODAY is not correct and is based on what they read, hear about in the news or what happened 20 years or so ago. (one sentence)

    America was locking up US citizens in concentration camps just because they were Japanese. How about the black vote, civil rights and oh they were slaves first; “We the people…” ? (two sentences)

    So…Is this America TODAY?

    Exactly how is China oppressive TODAY?

    Quibble quibble…

  20. Mister Justin says:

    21,

    You’re joking right? You want to know how China is oppressive today? How about executing people for speaking out against the government? Is that good enough?

  21. Frank says:

    You’re kidding…right?

    I live here and have done so for many years. My wife’s older brother is a government official (vice mayor) and a professor (two doctorates in political science) and lectures often at universities about how Chinese communism has failed and how the government needs to change and is changing.

    He and others remark that 20 years ago what he and others are doing was indeed impossible and what you say could very well be true – certainly no doubt during Mao’s cultural revolution.

    Don’t believe what you hear on CNN…

    So…are there still White Only areas in America?

  22. TIHZ_HO says:

    22.

    Speaking about speaking out and getting into trouble in China what about America …?

    As posted here right here on DU

    “Student suspended after voicing marijuana opinion — This is where things are headed in the public schools in both the USA and Canada. Kids, just shut up, will you? Say nothing about anything. Show disinterest, become a nihilist.”

    Talk about timing LOL!

  23. Mary says:

    Just because you live there doesn’t make you an expert on Chinese government policy. If you are currently living there, I’m sure your news is censored like everyone else’s.

    And just because statements are made about the weakness of their society doesn’t mean that those in the US are saying that our society doesn’t have it’s own weakness.

    But criticizing fact that Americans can sue, sorry, the system isn’t perfect, but I’m sure if Americans couldn’t sue, conditions here would be a lot worse for many people. Someone saw a rat in a fast food restaurant in New York, I think, and it was national news. The place, I think, was closed down.

  24. Mary says:

    I read the comment about the freedom of speech that underage students at a school event should have to post offensive material. The fact that parents would allow their child to argue this point to the supreme court explains a lot of the reason that students are failing in our schools. There is no code of conduct for kids anymore.

    These spoiled brats of my generation have grown up to be self absorbed adults who let their kids do whatever the heck they want. Then they wonder why their kids have no self discipline or social skills vital to school success. Mao used the youth of his time to carry out some terrible human rights abuses.


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