China Draws Fire for Blocking Access To YouTube
The Great Firewall of China was activated earlier this week, as the eastern nation moved to block all access in the country to the online video-sharing service YouTube.
According to reports first published by the BBC, China shut off access in response to the posting of a video depicting a raid by hundreds of Chinese army soldiers on a Tibetan monastery. The video includes graphic footage of a man being beaten with batons and a group of men (including a monk) being assaulted while lying on the ground.
There is no information regarding when the film was shot or at what location.
YouTube Slowly Disappears
Following the posting of the video over the weekend, Google noticed on Monday that less YouTube traffic was flowing to China. As of Tuesday morning, traffic had stopped altogether.
According to Google spokesperson Scott Rubin, China didn’t inform the company that it was blocking YouTube, and hasn’t offered an explanation. “We don’t know the reason for the block,” Rubin said, “and [we] are working to restore access to users in China as quickly as possible.”
There has been limited direct comment from the Chinese government, apart from a statement at a news conference early in the week in which a spokesperson said, “We encourage the active use of the Internet, but also manage the Internet according to law.”
International Controversy
This is the second Tibet-related block of YouTube by China in the past year. In March 2008, a similar shutdown followed the uploading of video clips showing riots in the streets of Tibet.
The move to cut off access for Chinese citizens has been condemned by human-rights groups. In a statement to the BBC, the Center for Democracy and Technology accused China of failing “to live up to international norms.”
“China’s apparent blocking of YouTube is at odds with the rule of law and the…
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