All video sharing sites available to Chinese Internet users will have to be censored and licensed by the Chinese government from the end of this month.
Free speech it’s definitely not. From January 31, according to a notice from the Chinese
State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, all Internet video sites available to Chinese Internet users will have to be licensed by the state and can display only permitted content.
In its notice, published in translation by
Vnunet, the body stated,
"Those applying for internet audio-visual service [licences] must at the same time be solely state-owned enterprises or enterprises whose shares are controlled by the state. Those who provide internet video services should insist on serving the people, serving socialism and abiding by the moral code of socialism."
That’s going to hit
YouTube, the site owned by
Google, although it perhaps comes as no surprise. Google already censors its search results for the Chinese market, and
Yahoo passed on details of a blogger, who is now in jail serving a 10-year sentence. Yahoo recently settled a civil suit over the issue.
Other major tech companies have co-operated with the Chinese government, and the government hasn’t been hesitant in using its power. In 2005 it banned
Wikipedia for a year.
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