Showing posts with label censorship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label censorship. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

FeedBurner Is Completely Blocked In China

At the end of August, when FeedBurner is blocked by China Telecom (most in south China), some of the China Netcom (most in north China) users may glad they still be able to visit feedburner. Today, FeedBurner is blocked by China Netcom too, so the China Netcom users must say goodbye to the FeedBurner.

So far, all Chinese users were unable to visit FeedBurner now.

This time is different from last year, in August 1,2006, FeedBurner is also blocked temporarily, one day later it’s came back. But this time, FeedBurner is blocked lot's of days, and it's still out there, which reminds us that this blockade may be permanent in the nature.

Even so, the Chinese users can still use Google Reader to visit FeedBurner, but if Google Reader becomes the next one, what should Chinese users do?

Sunday, September 2, 2007

China Internet Censorship Goes Crazy

Are they going crazy? Before they would warn and order the webmasters to delete "harmful" information from their websites, sometimes they just blocked the website. But now thousand of websites would be blocked if they are so unlucky to be hosted by the same IDC company with a "harmful" website.

Yes, in the last month, most of the interactive website(including forum, guestbook, blog) in China were blocked by the Chinese authorities. Some believe this is because of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opening, the Chinese authorities want a social stability. 

Chinese authorities often blocks an entire Web site, even if only parts of the site contain sensitive information. Just in the last month, more than thousand of dedicated server in HeNan TeleCom room and ShanTou TeleCom room were closed forcibly. thousand of sites were blocked included those on health, education, news, entertainment, religion. Also they use the Greate FireWall to blocks some great website like FeedBurner and Flickr.

This month, the Chinese authorities will finish their jobs, closing the rest of "illegal website". So when the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is opening, the Chinese cyberspace will become a very harmonious and stable.

Not a country renowned for freedom of speech, China has nevertheless outdone itself with more internet censorship that would make them proud.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

FeedBurner Blocked By China

FeedBurner, the most popular and powerful worldwide RSS service provider, is blocked by Chinese authorities for the censorship tonight.

FeedBurner Blocked


Now Chinese user unable to visit feeds.feedburner.com, when I try to ping feedburner from China, it will return "Request timed out".

Ping FeedBurner timed out


When I issued traceroute requests to feedburner in China, I found the IP packets  are blocked by 202.97.33.110. This IP address is a main router of China Telecom.

Trace Route Feedburner


It's confirm that the Greate FireWall's IP blocking works. The FeedBurner is blocked in China again.

This is not the first time that Chinese authorities blocks FeedBurner, in August 1,2006, FeedBurner is also blocked temporarily, one day later it's came back, but now it's blocked again.

Why Chinese authorities blocks FeedBurner? Because Feedburner provides content from countless websites. It could conceivably carry some information the Chinese authorities think it shouldn't. So they try to blocks it, Although this will let them be against lot's of Chinese bloggers.

Although the Chinese bloggers could visit FeedBurner via proxy server, only few people use proxy in fact, maybe because proxy is slow and instable.

I wish FeedBurner will come back tomorrow.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Google Answers Censorship In China

Today, Google and Tianya (a famous Chinese community website) launched a free Q&A service - "Tianya Answers". Some believe this is a strong competitors of "Baidu Zhidao" (the biggest Q&A site in China). In the bottom of "Tianya Answers" we can get "Google technology provide".

Social search has been Google's weaknesses, Google Answers is also defeat by Yahoo Answers. In China, Baidu Zhidao is the biggest Q&A service. Google launches Q&A service in China will enable Google to compete with Baidu. But in the "Tianya Answers", we found some of the very obvious Google-specific issues.

When we register a new account, we can get the following message : "Please note that according to Chinese laws, your IP information will be recorded for at least 60 days. And it will be will be provided to government agencies when we get the request."

That is mean, Google will complied with requests from the Chinese authorities to furnish information regarding an IP address of Google's users, and Google will only simply state that they just conform to the laws of the countries in which they operate.

Before in 2006, Google launches the Chinese version of its search engine to be censored (google.cn). Google use so-call SafeSearch filter used to keep people away from "bad" information, such as "subversive" material.

Google being in China helps itself more than China and simply does not fit into the "Don't Be Evil" mantra, but Google also known little about China's censorship. The "community website" is the "high-risk" project, they must face the work of looking out for and cleaning up "harmful information", if they do not get the "harmful information" out, they will be out. So they choice to collaborates with the Chinese regime.

Google "Don't Be Evil" ... Not in China.

Sources in Chinese .

Friday, August 10, 2007

The Secret Of Internet Censorship In China

As we know, whether blog or forum is censored in China, people can not say anything in China. What can be said, and what can not be said is a question for all of us, today, I will introduce some of the legal basis in China: "Computer Information Network and Internet Security, Protection and Management Regulations"

The management regulations is approved by the State Council of China on December 11 1997 and promulgated by the Ministry of Public Security of China on December 30, 1997. This is a legal basis. In that regulations, a detailed definition of "harmful information" the specific meaning, publishing "harmful information" is forbidden. Then what is the "harmful information"?

According to the Section Five of the Act provides that no individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or spread the following kinds of information:

(1) Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;

(2) Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;

(3) Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;

(4) Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;

(5) Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society;

(6) Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder,

(7) Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;

(8) Injuring the reputation of state organs;

(9) Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.

Evidently, these nine categories of information is harmful information. I think, in one word, any threat to social stability statements are "harmful information". Anyone want to publishing "harmful information" is illegal. This is the so-called "Internet censorship in China", If you knew about this, you will be able to understand those weird things in China's cyberspace.

Sources:William Long: The internet censership's law basis  (Chinese)