China - We Don't Censor the Internet

kaufmanmoore writes "A Chinese government official at a United Nations summit in Athens on internet governance has claimed that no Net censorship exists at all in China. The article includes an exchange by a Chinese government official and a BBC reporter over the blocking of the BBC in China." From the article: "I don't think we should be using different standards to judge China. In China, we don't have software blocking Internet sites. Sometimes we have trouble accessing them. But that's a different problem. I know that some colleagues listen to the BBC in their offices from the Webcast. And I've heard people say that the BBC is not available in China or that it's blocked. I'm sure I don't know why people say this kind of thing. We do not have restrictions at all."

Other great one-liners

[AKAImBatman]

In China, we don't have software blocking Internet sites. Sometimes we have trouble accessing them.

I didn't lose it, I just don't remember where I put it.

I'm not lost, I just don't know where I am.

I'm not paranoid, everyone IS out to get me!

I'm not sleeping, I'm just resting my eyes.

Are we really going to trust a nation that doesn't even follow its own constitution [intelligentblogger.com]*? Oh, that's right. There's an escape clause in there that says, "the government can steamroll the people, no matter what the Constitution says. You just can't steamroll each other." Well that's peachy keen.

* Disclaimer: Link is to an article on my blog. Do not click if you're afraid of people who link to their own blogs. P.S. Boo.

Hmmm

[geoffspear]

Well, if his high-ranking government official collegues are able to get an uncensored Internet feed, that must mean they don't have any censorship, right?

These are not the droids you're looking for...

[the_skywise]

Technically... in Chinese legalspeek(tm) he's probably right.

It's not "censorship" it's "protection of the people from incorrect thoughts".

hmmm...

[alx5000]

1. Smash up Human Rights.
2. Get all the International Community busy discussing some nonsensical omfg-lmao statement you make.
3. Profit.

Re:These are not the droids you're looking for...

[Tackhead]

> Technically... in Chinese legalspeek(tm) he's probably right.
>
> It's not "censorship" it's "protection of the people from incorrect thoughts".

I can buy that. My country's lawyers say it's not torture unless there's major organ failure or death.

The USSR was the failed alpha release. The PRC is the live beta site.

If it were only that easy...

[binaryspiral]

"A Chinese government official at a United Nations summit in Athens on internet governance has claimed that no Net censorship exists at all in China.

If truth was that easy.

I'm a millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht.

There are no tanks in Baghdad!

[Jonsey]

I think I've found Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf's [wikipedia.org] new job.

Spin for one government is the same as a spin for another government, right?

Trust The Computer, The Computer is your Friend. Happiness is Mandatory! (I'm dressed as a troubleshooter [wikipedia.org] this Halloween, but an Iraqi Information Minister would have worked as well)

Re:Looks censored to me

[Anonymous Coward]

try retyping your query in Mandarin or do you think they speak and search using English words in China ?

Uh, slight correction

[repvik]

I think this:

In China, we don't have software blocking Internet sites. Sometimes we have trouble accessing them. But that's a different problem.

should've read:

In China, we don't have software blocking Internet sites. Sometimes we have trouble accessing them. But that's because the hardware filters doesn't work most of the time.

New job

[rlp]

Glad to see 'Baghdad Bob' was able to find employment working for the Chinese government.

Re:Wow

[mctk]

That's not tr^[NO CARRIER]

Re:O RLY?

[cdrudge]

Well it's obvious that Google.cn just hasn't had the opportunity to index the entire internet. You know that the internet is a pretty big place and Google.cn is still fairly new. Give it 10-15 years and check again.

The UN should let China control the internet

[the Gray Mouser]

Now, if the UN were to wrest control of the internet from the US, they could allow China to handle its operations.

After all, they're already running their own network quite efficiently, and with no censorship whatsoever.

New nickname for this guy...

[AceCaseOR]

I hereby dub this clown Bejing Bob.

Re:the audience?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's really simple. the fake BBC feed in china has stories interspersed how glorious china is and how good the leaders are.
example....

In international news, most honerable Hu Jintao saved a truckload of puppies and kittens from being attacked by the most evil American army personally! he lifted the truck and flew to safety himself. All hail Hu Jintao!

Yes yes...

[spiritraveller]

I'm sure I don't know why people say this kind of thing.

If I were from China, I would probably be sure that I didn't know too.

Re:Wow

[Hitch]

that impressive...I've never seen plague transmitted by fortification before.

Re:If it were only that easy...

[bbernard]

So, now that Google, Yahoo, etc. have documented proof that there is no Internet censorship in China, doesn't that mean they can turn their "voluntary" filters off?

Does anyone else see CN as Choatic Neutral?

[sckeener]

Offtopic> Does anyone else see CN and think 'Choatic Neutral?'

China's not evil.

They play Chaotic Neutral so the paladin in the party with detect evil won't beat them up.

Ok...I'm a geek.

And I'm single.

Re:Inspiration to us all.

[Virgil Tibbs]

no i'm saying china has a SIMILAR situation. which country is it which has lots of its infra structure run by immigrants some of them illeagal yet refuses to give them citizenship? no on no account am i sayin the u.s. implements the single child policy and i totally agree with your views on tibet and i just go mad when i here about these dogs but is the US MUCH better? while the us is one of the most politically free countrys, that doesnt mean that the elections are nesscessarily fair OR free with a 2 party democracy things can get pretty confused - it being an either or question instead of "who" now i know this system has some benefits, i dont deny that, but it does create politics which is very mainstream, with nobody daring big changes in policy. oh back to a few other of your points... censorship of the press? which country has big investigations and scandals about various newspapers reporting intelligence programs which it is not allowed to and getting into shit with the government oh and support for mass murderers? well there are several blood-thirsty dictators which the US, sorry bush, "supports"(look in asia and africa) but i'd prefere not to go into case studies. the us has the one of the largest prison populations in the world additionnaly, like china, it is one of the only developed countries in the world in which execution is leagal. personnaly I like the US(they are keeping taiwan safe), I just wish it would keep the moral high ground it has traditionally held at the moment they are being hipocritic going after afganistan - yep, fine, good iraq? hmmm compare iraq to north korea compare iraq to iran compare iraq to china - the only reason the US doesn't bomb them tomorrow is because of lucrative trade deals. I agree the U.S isn't Nazi germany. I never said it was. but i do think it is moving closer towards WWII italy. I just wish, since after the UN, it is the only one who feasably can. It would stick it's butt out , doing something good, and go tell china to go f**k itself (metaphorically) persaonnaly i wish it put itself more into NATO and the UN

Re:Inspiration to us all.

[fireman sam]

"If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair." - George Washington

"I know human beings and fish can coexist peacefully" - George W Bush

Gotta love the comparison.