Microsoft joins Yahoo!, Google in censoring China's web

Yahoo! Asia News AFP ^ | Monday June 13, 6:20 PM

[LwinAungSoe]

Photo: AFP

BEIJING (AFP) - Users of Microsoft's new China-based Internet portal were blocked from using the words "democracy", "freedom" and "human rights" in an apparent move by the US software giant to appease Beijing.

Other words that could not be used on Microsoft's free online blog service MSN Spaces include "Taiwan independence" and "demonstration".

Bloggers who enter such words or other politically charged or pornographic content are prompted with a message that reads: "This item should not contain forbidden speech such as profanity. Please enter a different word for this item".

Officials at Microsoft's Beijing offices refused to comment Monday.

Internet sites in China are strongly urged to abide by a code of conduct and self-censor any information that could be viewed by the government as politically sensitive, pornographic or illegal.

For many Chinese websites, such content also includes news stories that the government considers unfavorable or does not want published.

New regulations issued in March now require that all China-based websites be formally registered with the government by the end of June or be shut down by Internet police.

Microsoft formed a joint venture with China's state-funded Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd (SAIL) last month to launch the MSN China web portal.

Microsoft is not the only international tech company to comply with China's stringent Internet rules.

Yahoo! and Google -- the two most popular Internet search engines -- have already been criticized for cooperating with the Chinese government to censor the Internet.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) earlier said it "deplores the irresponsible policies of United States Internet firms Yahoo! and Google in bowing directly and indirectly to Chinese government demands for censorship".

An RSF spokesman said Monday the group was checking to see if Microsoft had followed suit.

"We are checking into this. If it is correct, it proves once again that US companies are actively collaborating with the Chinese government's censorship efforts," the spokesman told AFP.

"We strongly condemn that."

[LwinAungSoe]

Is money more important than democracy, freedom and human rights? This simply shows the world democracies want China to become likewise, internet users cooperated with Microsoft, Google and Yahoo is the best strategy.

[LwinAungSoe]

Sorry. My comment should be like this: Is money more important than democracy, freedom and human rights? This simply shows that if the world democracies want China to become likewise, internet users cooperated with Microsoft, Google and Yahoo is the best strategy.
 

[Northern Alliance]

Also here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1421252/posts

[NautiNurse]

New lexicon and programming tweaks will develop quickly to circumvent the censored terms.

[bikepacker67]

New lexicon and programming tweaks will develop quickly to circumvent the censored terms

They already DO exist.

Chinese websurfers know ALL ABOUT using Proxy servers

[Raycpa]

Good searchers can get around this and find secondary words.

[LurkedLongEnough]

Leetspeak (l33t5p34k) might work.

[Dallas59]

What if (when) China invades Taiwan? What if the US gets involved? What role will Yahoo, MSN, Google play? Collaborators?

[cloud8]

> Is money more important than democracy, freedom and human rights?

We'll see...they indicate they will follow up: "An RSF spokesman said Monday the group was checking to see if Microsoft had followed suit." It's still quarter to six in Redmond...too early to wake up Mr. Bill.

[grizzly84]

Microsoft deserves a swift kick in the ass.

[RockinRight]

I forsee a revolution in China in the next 20 years whether the ChiComs like it or not.

[Labyrinthos]

Meanwhile, China remains the primary source in the world for pirated software.

[NautiNurse]

They already DO exist.
Chinese websurfers know ALL ABOUT using Proxy servers

Why are you shouting? Censorship and its circumvention is an ever evolving sport.

[TXFireman]

Sick

[brownsfan]

Is money more important than democracy, freedom and human rights?

How dare you ask such an uninformed question here. The answer of course is YES!!!

Let's sell them our tech. Let's ship our manufacturing there. Let's sell them our politicians. Then we can go to WalMart and buy cheap crap, come home and check our computers to see how our stocks are doing. This will go on indefinately. The Chinese are cute and cuddly. They will only abuse their own people and make them slaves for us. The Chinese have no designs on us or our way of lives.

[brownsfan]

What if (when) China invades Taiwan? What if the US gets involved?

China WILL take Taiwan. They are positioning, and have been doing sabre rattling. I've been saying this for a while. I figure Taiwan has about 3 years left. The Chinese can be quite patient, their military build up is not to the point they can handle an occupation, yet. But with our manufacturing capacity being transferred to China, China will come up to speed fast.
The US will NOT get involved. China is communist, in case the free marketeers hadn't noticed. Communist countries have been known to "nationalize" companies within their borders. If the US interferes, the Chinese need only threaten nationalization of businesses, and the wealthy businessmen in the US will tell the politicians they own to back off. Immediately, spin will begin telling us how the Chinese have a rightful claim and this is GOOD for the Taiwanese.

[bored at work]

I see a Chinese version of spanglish. Changlish . . .

[elfman2]

I think this is a good move. Sometimes the best solution for a problem is counter intuitive, like tough love, removing a welfare safety-net or pretending disinterest in dating.

This brings more media into the closed nation, and the work arounds for the list of “banned words” will certainly become a big joke on the Chinese Communist Party.

[The_Victor]

Is money more important than democracy, freedom and human rights?

Companies don't exist to promote a political agenda, they exist to make money for their shareholders. If the people of China want freedom and democracy, then they need to demand it from their government. Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google are not going to do it unless there is a profit in it.