I Smell Fear

There are rumors of stricter internet blocking in China. Evidence is already materializing. Google and Yahoo already lose connection on a regular basis throughout the day, and I hear tell that there will soon be a ban on gmail. The reason is allegedly the government’s growing concern of pornography. I call shenanigans.

If it were only pornography they sought to purge, sites such as Facebook, Blogger and Twitter or Foreign religious sites would not be banned. Now there are even embargoes on certain Wikipedia sites, most especially (but not limited to) ones with any negative indications toward China. In fact, many sites, if holding information that may not paint China in a particularly gleaming light, are prohibited. It is a closing grip.

It is amazing enough that I even hear word at all about the Han and the riots in the northwest. But how do I hear about them? Not through Chinese media, but through the BBC (bless them). Fortunately, China has relinquished some control over major foreign news corporations, but only under pressure of looking like a tyrannical prison ward of the information highway. This was not the case a few months ago, when there was a block on sites such as MSN International, Google International and Live Search (among others). Even now, if you type in keywords that include “China,” you will most likely be censored? Why? Because China doesn’t want to look bad. The paranoia stretches far.

Note to China: The problem with trying to control 1.5 billion people: YOU CAN’T.