No rhyme or reason to internet censorship – Kaiser Kuo

Kaiser Kuo by Fantake via Flickr

Many internet users in China were pleasantly surprised when suddenly a range of previously blocked website were available, last Friday, including the twitter-interface Hootsuite, Voice of America, video-sharing site Vimeo and URL shortening site bit.ly. Even some foreign pornography was suddenly available.
But that happiness might be shortlived, tells internet watcher Kaiser Kuo to CP:

“I think it’s totally just a glitch. These things have happened often before. (Censors) screw up and some site will suddenly become available for a day or two days and then be back to normal again. There’s never any rhyme or reason to it,” said Kaiser Kuo, a Beijing-based technology analyst. “It’s almost certainly not deliberate policy.”

The sites have become available amid a “sweep out pornography and prostitution” campaign in the Chinese capital of Beijing, which has resulted in the closure of several nightclubs and karaoke parlours.

Commercial
Kaiser Kuo is also a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. When you need him at your conference, do get in touch.
Kaiser Kuo also contributed a chapter to our recently released book A Changing China, on the early stages of rock music in China.
The China Speakers Bureau has this week started an expanded publishing service, following the publication of our book. When you are interested in our details, please click here.