I have this funny feeling that the Chinese government wants to be known as the world capital of Internet censorship. Soon after the Australian government announced its intention to filter online contents, China has taken another major step much to the dismay of privacy groups.
This time, the government wants to limit broadcasting of Internet videos to state-controlled companies. Will this be the end of video-sharing sites such as YouTube and popular Chinese site, Tudou.com? According to a news article, the fate of these companies is not yet clear. Both companies did not respond about this inquiry yet.
As usual, the objective is to fight malicious video contents, protect the reputation of China, and prevent anyone from broadcasting videos about the country’s national secrets.
The policy dictates that only state-owned and state-controlled companies can apply for government permits to broadcast and upload video contents. The permit is renewable every 3 years. The problem is that majority of Internet video providers operating in China are private companies.
What could be next? Ban the music lyrics?
Originally posted on January 3, 2008 @ 10:41 am