June 3rd, 2009
On eve of Tianamen anniversary, China blocks Twitter, Flickr, Bing
This can’t be any surprise. But we will not forget.
According to reports, with the 20th anniversary of Tianamen Square China has blocked access to Twitter, Flickr, Hotmail and Microsoft’s new Bing search engine on a massive scale.
And the repression goes beyond the ability to use web messaging.
The dissident, Wu Gaoxing, was seized Saturday at his home in Taizhou, a coastal city south of Shanghai, according to the New York advocacy group Human Rights in China. Mr. Wu was among five men, all once jailed for their roles in the Tiananmen movement, who released a letter last weekend charging that former prisoners have been singled out for economic hardship long after their prison terms ended.
Human Rights in China said Mr. Wu was taken away and his computer confiscated about an hour after the letter, addressed to President Hu Jintao and other senior leaders, became public.
The Huffington Post calculates the following sites are blocked in China: YouTube, Blogspot, Tumblr, Livejournal, Flickr, Microsoft’s Live.com and HuffPo itself.
The San Francisco Chronicle says that Internet companies seem to be finally taking a more aggressive approach to Chinese censorship, although Twitter was silent.
Yahoo issued an angry statement:
We understand the Chinese government is blocking access to Flickr and other international sites, though the government has not issued any explanation. We believe a broad restriction without a legal basis is inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression.
But Microsoft only said they were seeking to “understand the decision.”
Last word to Reporters without Borders:
The Chinese government stops at nothing to silence what happened 20 years ago in Tiananmen Square. … Authorities have opted for censorship at any price rather than accept a debate about this event.
