RSSWestern Search Engines Redirected in China
By Ed Oswald | Published October 18, 2007, 1:30 PM
Without reason, Western search engines in China are now being redirected to Chinese search site Baidu.
Various reports indicate that YouTube, Yahoo, Google, and Windows Live Search are all being redirected to Baidu, in a possible move to block out news of the Dalai Lama's receipt of the Congressional Gold Medal.
Such a move would not be surprising, considering China has already done something similar in the past. In 2002, it redirected Google surfers away from the site ahead of the Communist Party Congress meetings.
That event is happening again in a few weeks (it happens once every five years), so it could also be a possible reason for the block, say Chinese censorship watchers. In an Associated Press story last week, it was said that the country's moves ahead of this years Congressional meetings are 'unprecedented.' Entire data centers are being shut down, and interactive websites are being forced to close until after the meetings end.
Baidu is not completely in the clear in this either: the company has been accused of meddling in government affairs to attempt to get the sites blocked for its own benefit.
China stands to benefit from its homegrown sites doing better: Baidu is a NASDAQ listed company. When questioned about such a premise as part of a 2006 Washington Post story on Google's rise in China, Baidu denied it had anything to do with the 2002 blocks.
Chinese authorities have so far had no public comment on the blocks.
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- AT&T Cuts Anti-Bush Lyrics from Webcast - Aug 10, 2007
- Zimbabwe Legislation May Filter Internet - Jun 13, 2007
- Group: Net Censorship Becoming a Problem - Jun 7, 2007
....nothing serious
you American govornment can forbid mid-east terrorist web-site,we can also forbide yours because of your supporting Tibet Dalailama...
by the way, im in China and ican still use google,yahoo,live search.
only youtube is not available...
but we hv many many video site to use instead...
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One question, however:
How does China plan to handle Olympic participants and visitors wanting *full* internet access during the Games? Seems to me its current policies could present some significant problems during the Olympics.
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"Without reason?"
Anyone been reading the news the past 50 years? That said, this ain't news.
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I'm behind the great Chinese firewall, but I can use Google as usual. Though of course, www.dalailama.com is not accessible.
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All searches on Yahoo in South Africa are being redirected to baidu as well and we are nowhere near China.
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China rules! Make Chinese more stupid and less informed thou!
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and just yesterday,youtube has been blocked in china,damn it...
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ummm...they are communist...wheres the news?
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Isn't the reason pretty obvious?
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Looking for MP3? Search Baidu :P
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