China reneges on Internet freedom during Olympics

Thursday 31st July, 07:37 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 51 Total Comments Show All

ca1ic0cat at 01:20 AM JST - 1st August

I have to agree, it looks like China is going to botch this opportunity to show themselves as a modern government. I guess we were all just being optimistic. Too bad they are reverting to their typical modus operandi.
RepublicofTexas at 04:47 AM JST - 1st August

Despite China's attempts to use the Olympics to demonstrate their "arrival" as a modern nation, I think the Olympics is merely going to reinforce the world's view that China's still medieval despite her military arsenal.
nimbus at 04:52 AM JST - 1st August

Sorry, I couldn't find the original article, but here's a link to a very similar article on LA Times. The article is dated July 30, 2008. BTW, I cut and pasted the links so there should not be any typo problems.

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fg-olyspy30-2008jul30,0,1618850.story?track=rss
nimbus at 05:12 AM JST - 1st August

Here's an excerpt from the article I have linked in my previous post.

"These hotels are justifiably outraged by this order, which puts them in the awkward position of having to craft pop-up messages explaining to their customers that their Web history, communications, searches and key strokes are being spied on by the Chinese government," Brownback said at a news conference...."

The problem goes beyond the Olympics. Think of what happens when the Olmpics is over. Do you think the communist government would allow the hotels to get rid of their monitoring programs? I don't think so. Which will mean all travelers to China would be subject to complete monitoring by the communist government on their internet use. Do you want them to know your passwords to your email accounts (person and business), online banking accounts, e-trade accounts, etc.?

Industrial espionage would be so easy. Don't forget a lot of companies in China are entirely or partly state owned.

This is very bad.
thepro at 07:00 AM JST - 1st August

Well, I won't be visiting there anytime soon.
FairandBalanced at 07:15 AM JST - 1st August

Bush should have a firm talk to the Chinese and express his displeasure with this.

This would surely presuad the cHinese to change their mind, and people could use the internet safely.
imagawa at 10:11 AM JST - 1st August

FairandBalanced at 07:15 AM JST - 1st August

"Bush should have a firm talk to the Chinese and express his displeasure with this.

This would surely presuad the cHinese to change their mind, and people could use the internet safely."

You wrote this as a joke right?

The rest of the world think Bush is an idiot, why should China think any diffrent?
FairandBalanced at 10:13 AM JST - 1st August

imagawa- Heck!! THe rest of the world admire and respect Bush. What media outlets do you use, only socilaist one? Bush is thought of with great respect by the average Chinese, who see him as a beacon of peace and prosperity.

The internet should be free duribg the Olympics, go on GW sort out China.
FairandBalanced at 10:19 AM JST - 1st August

UnagiDon_ Heck!! My comments are a joke!! What is thsi pick on the moderate guy? Why have all the liberals got it in for me?

I believe Bush has to persuade China to do the right thing and bring freedom to the Olympics.
thepro at 12:25 PM JST - 1st August

I don't think he's joking. He's just a kid maybe?
rajakumar at 09:15 PM JST - 1st August

China is one party government. If it gives total internet freedom, it will affect their systems.

China is not the USA, with dual political leadership systems, that change to republicans or democrats. China and Russia are different political systems, they were cold war(iron curtain) isolated nations.

They need more time, Russians have only recently began in good opposition political systems with Kasparov(Democratic party of Russia).

Democrat party of Russia(DPR) won only 0.13 percent of votes in 2007 elections. If we asking for changes too fast, we are asking too much, and too fast.
Blue_Tiger at 11:23 PM JST - 1st August

Should anyone be surprised, that a hardened Communist regime with control over its media would allow full media freedom? Red China made all sorts of promises, none of whic she has kept, in order to snag the `08 Olympics. It'd serve her right if this Olympics becomes the worst on record....
vawiha at 11:30 PM JST - 1st August

I don't see what all the fuss is about. People know what China is like! No big surprise. China is a sovereign country! Does anyone think that China will kowtow to the West? The Olympics is just a big tax write-off for large corporate sponsors. In Vancouver, the homeless in the downtown core need shower facilities, but can they get them? No, but millions can be spent on constructing highways, sports venues, and locker rooms and shower facilities for athletes that will use them for 2 weeks. Why not focus our criticism on the real problem with the Olympics?
imagawa at 07:52 AM JST - 2nd August

The olympics is sport, sport sucks in the suckers who get sucked in by the advertising so the advertisers pay out big money, but only because the suckers are there watching.

China never intended keeping it's promise on free internet access & those that believed they would did so because it let them of the hook when it came to China getting the olympics in the first place. They should never have been allowed to host the olypics. Now the big money advertisers are making all their silly excuses.

Yes, I know, don't mix politics & sport, get real, most of the suckers just want to watch sport & don't give a damn. Their sport & their country are more important than anything else. Little people with little minds, but a lot of them to keep the advertisers happy. Money, sport & politics, what a very sick mix? Welcome to China suckers.
rajakumar at 11:52 PM JST - 6th August

1 DAY(less than 24 hours) TO GO for Beijing 2008 sports competitons.