Ready, Aim, Firewall!

Katherine Mangu-Ward | May 8, 2008

Remember how anyone protesting China in Nepal risked getting shot during the Olympic torch relay at Mt. Everest?

Well, that's not the only censorship that's going to surround the Olympics, though it's a rather more dramatic interpretation of the word firewall: Technology Minister Wan Gang told Reuters some sites would be shut down or screened during the Games. "To protect the youth there are controls on some unhealthy websites."

In light of statements like there, there seems to be a serious case of unfounded optimism at the IOC:

Wan's statement comes just over a month after the International Olympic Committee reminded China of its obligations as an Olympic host city to allow the press to report as freely as they have in the past—which usually includes full, unfettered access to the Internet. The IOC insisted to the government that the Internet be "open at all times during Games time," and commission vice chairman Kevan Gosper appeared optimistic that China would comply. "On all issues where that's been concerned they've lived up to the (host city) agreement so we don't see any reason why they'd step back from that now," he said at the time.

More on China here. More Beijing Olympics here.

Comments

|5.8.08 @ 12:44PM|#

"It's for the children" apparently translates into other languages as well.

Colin|5.8.08 @ 12:46PM|#

We should worry more about censorship at home.

There's nothing we can (or should) do about China.

Neil|5.8.08 @ 12:53PM|#

I love how lefy Democrats care about the ChiComs now, while in the 60s and 70s they were best buddies.

Is it because they have some free market reforms now that you finally say something about ChiCom brutality?

|5.8.08 @ 12:54PM|#

Colin

I agree that censorship at home should be fought.

However, we - meaning "we" as individuals, not "we" as government - can and should assist individual Chinese people in resisting censorship. I have heard of projects which have designed software to beat the Chinese government firewalls and censorship. They deserve our support.

|5.8.08 @ 12:55PM|#

"On all issues where that's been concerned they've lived up to the (host city) agreement so we don't see any reason why they'd step back from that now,"

IOC: ..."we don't want to see any reason" ... there, fixed!

What's the IOC gonna do when the (host city) does "step back" from the agreement - cancel the Olympics? Ha!

|5.8.08 @ 1:02PM|#

Who's surprised that the PRC rulers will continue to exercise censorship, even increase it, during the games?

Don't all raise your hands at once.

|5.8.08 @ 1:15PM|#

I am crossing my fingers and toes and praying to Jeebus and FSM that the Olympics are an utter disaster. That'll teach the IOC to award the games to a country with such a disastrous human rights and environmental record.

Just to make it interesting, Taiwan should declare independence during the Opening Ceremony.

Elemenope|5.8.08 @ 1:37PM|#

I love how lefy Democrats care about the ChiComs now, while in the 60s and 70s they were best buddies.

Which president was it that opened diplomatic relations with China, again?

That's right, Neil. You are a bumbling dunderhead.

Tacos mmm...|5.8.08 @ 1:42PM|#

I love how lefy Democrats care about the ChiComs now, while in the 60s and 70s they were best buddies.

Cue Pinochet/Friedman. Stalin waiting in the wings. Roll "Hitler as an ally against the communists." Godwin appears. /thread thank god.

curious|5.8.08 @ 1:45PM|#

How will the atheletes post their videos to yuo pron form china?

Episiarch|5.8.08 @ 1:57PM|#

I am crossing my fingers and toes and praying to Jeebus and FSM that the Olympics are an utter disaster.

Do you mean by having dismal ratings and global indifference? Because that's the case every time since the end of the Cold War.

As much as I agree with you, I don't think enough people are watching the Olympics for anything other than a huge thing to get noticed.

|5.8.08 @ 2:01PM|#

@curious: I am also gravely concerned about this matter.

Incidentally, the tri-athletes are called tri -athletes because they are infamously try-sexual.

They'll try anything once.

Elemenope|5.8.08 @ 2:06PM|#

As much as I agree with you, I don't think enough people are watching the Olympics for anything other than a huge thing to get noticed.

If any protesters are crazy enough to get themselves shot (and we fairly know the PRC' government is crazy enough to shoot them, cf: Tienanmen Square), would that qualify as a "huge thing"?

Episiarch|5.8.08 @ 2:10PM|#

If any protesters are crazy enough to get themselves shot (and we fairly know the PRC' government is crazy enough to shoot them, cf: Tienanmen Square), would that qualify as a "huge thing"?

The PRC learned their lesson with Tienanmen. They'll use hoses and rubber bullets and then deal with the protesters later out of camera shot. For some insane reason they think that hosting the Olympics is some amazing marker of superpowerness and they are taking it very seriously.

I would bet that any goon who makes them look bad by shooting protesters will find himself looking down a barrel.

Kolohe|5.8.08 @ 8:14PM|#

they think that hosting the Olympics is some amazing marker of superpowerness and they are taking it very seriously.

You know who else, etc....?

(Granted, he was, as you say, insane)