Post-Quake, China Cuts Access to Entertainment Web Sites

thefickler writes "The Chinese Government has issued orders that all entertainment web sites and regular television programming be shut down completely for the next 3 days. Only web sites covering the recent tragic 7.8 magnitude earthquake and television stations broadcasting CCTV earthquake programming will be allowed to remain live." Can anyone with Web access in China confirm this report? From an AP story on the state of communications in the country right now, it appears at least that China is (despite ongoing monitoring) allowing freer than usual communications in the wake of the quake.

Think it's a showcase?

[Mal-2]

Do you think maybe the government feels they are doing such a great job there's no need to clamp down? From what I've seen, they are doing about as well as anyone could under the circumstances. Maybe they think that this will lead to good enough things being said (with a few bad ones for a "reality check") that they can pretend to be wide open and still come out of this looking good.

Closure of Channel BT.

[scum-e-bag]

Translation: close all torrent sites.

All non essentials, ie p2p, will be shut down. All resources are to go into humanitarian relief.

Be prepared to wait a while for your latest episodes via Channel BT.

I'm really starting to hate China.

This is no reason to hate China... What did the rest of the US do when Cyclone Katrina hit? Oh, thats right, they sat on their bums and continued to watch Channel BT as they didn't want to know about their fellow citizens people drowning.

Re:Fascism idiocy

[arthdo]

You got it wrong. It's the cutural differences hat shocked you. In Chinese culture, "mourning" is a serious process that few people would even think of seeking "entertainment". It is to show the deep respect for the dead and the families that are suffering. The government is simply suggesting to stop recreational activities during national days of mourning. Internet is certainly not being cracked down ...

Re:Whats the point?

[Gavagai80]

Because people thousands of miles away are really likely to come help if you take away their TV?

Re:monitored is not free

[smilindog2000]

I'm going to do something dangerous, and quote my wife as a well informed person. According to her, right after the quake, the Chinese government banned all reporting in the effected areas. As usual, all the press backed off and went home. Except for two reporters from two papers. These two reporters rapidly reported on the actual situation, and the other newspapers and TV stations saw these competitors getting all the viewers and readers. Nationally, news organizations then defied the government order and reported on the situation openly.

So... the government is pissed, and is punishing the media organizations by sending them home for a while. I could be wrong, but that's more or less what I heard from my wife, and like in China, it's dangerous around here to disagree with the boss :-)

Re:China can't read slashdot

[Catskul]

Can you normally?

Its regional

[Demonicat]

Before I launch into opinion, let me first state the facts jack. China's Internet censorship (the great firewall part of golden shield) is regionally based. Similar to the US radio having locality based censorship. In February for example, the university I teach at(Inner Mongolia Uni of Tech/science), could not access wikipedia- but could access flickr. In Beijing, it was the opposite- its locality based and gladder for firefox kills it anyway. That said, I still have full internet. Yesterday the DNS kept crashing out, but internet is rolling along fine and dandy...or as close as we get here at 100kbs on a pppoe. All sites are behaving normally. Now opinion. While I am a firm believer and activist for Freedom of Information, in this case I believe shutting down a bit of commuications may be needed. Many people in China are a bit on edge currently, with the olympics, the protests, the whole t1b3t thing- and the earthquake moved them right to the edge. Rumours are circulating around the country here about radiation dangers, the government not acting, the goverment causing the earthquake like some kind of James Bond Villian...lots of BS. The end result of this is that people are too panicked and nervous to help out with reconstruction or aiding survivors- not good. The limiting of information until the area is secure and survivors helped is very important at this time.

HBO and Cinemax went dark at my hotel

[Ixitar]

I am in Beijing and HBO and Cinemax channels at my hotel are not available today. CNN is available.

I have not found any websites blocked other than the usual ones.

Re:Over the top

[Beijing Monster]

Agreed. That said, to put the GWOT example in perspective: the number of Chinese dead does not yet exceed the number of Iraqi dead since 2003 and America's war of aggression upon Iraq.

Re:monitored is not free

[Anonymous Coward]

guys don't rush to judgements. Based on the chinese old habit, the son is supposed to live without entertainment for 3 years when the parent passes away.

I do not think anyone obey those rules any more. But tradition is tradition, it is kind of like that when chinese people mourn the dead in this case. I do not find it any strange if you understand the culture.

This is nothing about Censorship

[lobatt]

I'm a Chinese, we are not shutting down the website or TV channel, we are just not entertain for 3 days. If you are a foreigner in China and feel no pain and like to have some fun, you can get it, just we won't participate. This is our way of show our lament for the victims. Feeling sorrow, so we can relief the pain of the people in sichuan, and comfort the dead. As for your guys, just show some respect to this is enough, don't be so bitch!

Three days national mourning

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, Theres 3 days national mourning. All entertainment venues will be closed (I'm not sure about the internet). From 14:28 today there will be 3 minutes silence. It's out of respect for the now 32,000+ dead and nothing else. This is the email I got about it (I'm working in Beijing)

Dear colleagues,

In memory of the casualties in earthquake of Sichuan Province, the State Council has announced an official three-day national mourning. Flags are to be kept at half-mast and all public amusements will be suspended from today to Wednesday for respect of victims of the May 12 earthquake.

All people in China are suggested to take actions jointly to show the condolence to victims in the tragedy.

In specific:

If you are at your desk, or in meeting, please stand in silence for three minutes starting from 14:28 today

If you are walking, please stand still in silence for three minutes starting from 14:28 today

If you are driving, please pull over your car at the same time and horn for three minutes from 14:28 today

Meanwhile, we would highly appreciate your continuous efforts in contributing to the MAC Relief Donation. And every penny we receive will go to those who are still suffering from the great pains of losing their families.

Regards,

Human Resource Department

Re:Whats the point?

[sydneyfong]

Well, let's presume your view of "they are trying to exploit this for nation building" is valid (which I don't agree).

Then, by US standards, China is doing just fine. The USA used 911 for nation building, fueled the fear of terrorists, and made Americans approve two invasions, one of which is viewed as a stupid war everywhere around the world.

You saw a bit more free speech in China after the quake. You saw less free speech in USA after 911.

So, what standards are you proposing to hold China to?

Re:monitored is not free

[BananaPeel]

I note with interest, over the past 6 months, the noticiable uninformed anti chinese bias of the articles on Slashdot.

You didn't need to dig very far to find out that China is in 3 days of mourning.

You guys appear intellegent but incapable of independent thought when it comes to China.

It seems that you really just don't get the cultural differences and you don't understand the inter-realtionship between responsibile reporting and control.

You flap about over freedom of the press, and yet appear to have no understanding of what that is or what it means.

China is made up of 56 different ethnics groups, 800 million of which are on less than $2 a day. You want to throw into that the irresponsible, almost unaccountable, sensationalist press we have in the West?

Yeah that would really work. Reporting without responsibility great invention.

A truely free press is a dangerous thing. It allows everyone to peddle whatever truth the desire and to encourage others to believe it.

Do you believe that any Western country allows a truely free press in that sense.

Push a negative story a little, someone starts a rumor, and you have a blood bath on your hands.

In the UK many kinds of story are not covered here by agreement between the press and Government. There is a code of practice for journalist and editors covering what should be reported.

The reason you have this is to try to instil some degree of responsibility into the press. Even with this totally ficticious and inflamatory stories are still run.

But in the west we don't have anything like the same kind of ethnic tensions that they have other countries.

And come on tell me you are not sick of reading the papers or watching the news in the West. Why because you know it's bias and not the whole story.

The very reason you come online and use a site like Slashdot is that you want to be able to shout back at those stories.

Only problem is that on the internet there is no code of ehtical practice. So everyone says what they want and we end up with some really nasty hate being shifted around the world fueling people prejudices.

The idea of a totally free press is a noble idea which totally does not take into account human nature.