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NEWS ABOUT: Great Firewall of China

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Chinese Bloggers Mock US' SOPA Outrage

Even as some say they support the protesters

(Newser) - Chinese Internet users were just a wee bit amused by American protests over the Stop Online Privacy Act . "Don't understand the hoopla over Wikipedia blackout in the US today," one microblogger wrote, according to the LA Times . "We blacked it out here years ago. Where are... More »

China Accuses US of Waging 'Internet War'

Sees 'shadow of America' behind Arab uprisings, urges tighter controls

(Newser) - The Chinese military issued a report today accusing the US of waging a worldwide "internet war" aimed at fomenting uprisings in the Middle East and elsewhere. Written by military academy scholars, the report urges the government to tighten its control of the web even further, according to the AP... More »

Facebook Looking for Way Into China: Report

Social networking site currently censored there, but in talk with partners

(Newser) - Facebook is in talks with would-be partners about ways it could gain access to the millions of Chinese people just dying to friend someone. The talks are in preliminary stages, and might not amount to anything, sources tell Bloomberg . Right now, Facebook is censored in China, as are Twitter, YouTube,... More »

China Cracks Down on Social Networking Sites

Politically sensitive material blocked after day of protests fizzles

(Newser) - The Chinese government has stepped up censorship of the Internet following a failed effort to use social networking sites to kickstart a North African-style "Jasmine Revolution ." Facebook and Twitter are banned in China but the Chinese equivalents have been flourishing. Government censors, however, moved swiftly to block all... More »

New Kindle Finds Hole in 'Great Firewall of China'

Device selling like hotcakes on gray market

(Newser) - Amazon’s Kindle 3G has become the hottest item on China’s gray market, and not just for its e-book features. Chinese bloggers have been gleefully recommending the device because it can circumvent the government’s censorship measures—or as one put it, “scale the wall automatically.” Its... More »

China Lets Porn Through Great Firewall

Beijing hasn't announced a policy change, but sites are still up

(Newser) - Get nasty, China: Beijing’s internet censors appear to have loosened up on pornography. Though there’s been no official word of a change in porn policy, Chinese blogs and Twitter accounts have been buzzing over the sudden availability of smut, the AP reports. It’s been eight weeks since... More »

China Unblocks Internet Porn

Sudden glut of online porn puzzles Chinese

(Newser) - Chinese web censors suddenly and unexpectedly unblocked tens of thousands of pornography sites this week, sparking—among other things—widespread speculation over its motives. Some believe that the government is trying to distract attention from today's anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, while others believe it's a move aimed at... More »

Tough-Guy China Shows Weakness in Google Fight

Beijing reveals its insecurity in its hard stance

(Newser) - If you want to understand why China took such a hard stance on Google, listen to the lesson of Sun Tzu. Once, the great strategist held a military demonstration using palace concubines for soldiers. When the women didn’t take it seriously, he beheaded two of them. After that, the... More »

China Partially Blocks Google's Hong Kong Site

Cell phone companies drop Google deals under pressure from Beijing

(Newser) - China fought back Google’s assault on the Great Firewall today, blocking any questionable content from Google’s Hong Kong site, and putting the screws on Google’s other operations. Google is currently redirecting mainland Chinese users to its uncensored Hong Kong site, but the government has stepped in to... More »

Google Shutters China Search Operation

Move to Hong Kong sidesteps censorship requirement

(Newser) - Unable to operate within China's stringent censorship regulations, Google will move its search operation to Hong Kong, retaining sales and R&D offices on the mainland. "The Chinese government has been crystal clear throughout our discussions that self-censorship is a non-negotiable legal requirement," the company said today. The... More »

Chinese People Dread Losing Google

Activists at once support search giant and feel betrayed

(Newser) - Google’s seemingly inevitable exit from China will have a profound effect on its people, with many saying they support the search giant’s stand yet feel abandoned. One human rights activist brought flowers to Google headquarters, as both a sign of support and a kind of funeral bouquet. “... More »

Google Appears to Defy Chinese Censorship Laws

Sites about Tiananmen Square are now accessible

(Newser) - Google appears to have quietly stopped filtering from its Chinese search engine, a staggering defiance of the powers that be in Beijing. Though the search giant denies changing its policy, NBC reporters in China have been able to access previously verboten sites relating to Tibet, the Xinjiang independence movement, and... More »

Google All But Certain to Close China Site

Beijing won't bend censorship requirements

(Newser) - Having lost its showdown with the Chinese government, Google is poised to close its Chinese search site, rather than continue to censor results. The company will likely take action within weeks, a source familiar with the situation tells the Wall Street Journal . When it does, China will prevent local news... More »

Google, YouTube Knockoffs Hit China

Chinese government to face Google—and Goojje

(Newser) - In a country famous for fake name-brand products, Goojje and YouTubecn may be the highest-profile imitations yet. As China battles it out with the real Google, knockoffs of both Google and YouTube have emerged on China's Internet. There's been no official response yet to the sites, but experts don't expect... More »

In Battle With China, Google Stakes Out High Ground

Beijing can't fight openness forever: Roger Cohen

(Newser) - It's about time somebody took China to task for getting rich from globalization while resisting the openness that makes it possible, writes Roger Cohen. The confrontation between Google and China—"the behemoth of global connectedness and the behemoth of global growth"—exposes the paradox behind China's transformation, Cohen... More »

Chinese Web Users Hail Google With Flowers

Some plead for firm to stay

(Newser) - Chinese web users risked the wrath of the authorities by laying flowers outside Google's offices in Beijing and other cities yesterday. Some users expressed shock and disappointment over the company's threat to quit the country over cyberattacks on human rights activists, the Wall Street Journal reports. Others hailed the company's... More »

China Bans Personal Web Sites

Only businesses may launch sites

(Newser) - China has banned individuals from registering personal domain names as part of its toughest crackdown yet on the Internet. Anyone seeking to register web sites must now supply a business license under the new regulations. Millions of existing web sites in China are being checked and will be taken offline... More »

Obama: I Don't Really Do Twitter

But the president wants the Chinese to be able to

(Newser) - If you’re one of Barack Obama’s 2.6 million Twitter followers, you’ve been suckered—the president says he’s never sent a tweet in his life. In a Q&A session in Shanghai, Obama was asked what he thought of China’s restriction of Twitter. “I... More »

China Scraps Web Filter Software Mandate—for Now

(AP) - China is postponing enforcement of a new rule mandating that all new computers be sold with filtering software. The rule was to go into effect tomorrow, but the official Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report today that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had decided to delay... More »

Tiananmen Sweeps Twitter as Chinese Thwart Ban

'Tiananmen' becomes one of site's most-discussed topics as users turn to proxies

(Newser) - China's blocking of Twitter ahead of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre last week didn't foil the country's computer-savvy youth for very long, the BBC reports. Users swiftly shared information about visiting the site through proxies or software applications, and the subsequent twittering made Tiananmen one of Twitter's most-discussed... More »

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