Facebook is being blocked in China over the Urumqi clashes.
Rediya Kadeer, president of the World Uighur Congress, explained “social media is critical to the Uighurs’ cause” in an exclusive AllFacebook interview earlier this week. Facebook wall posts were used to spread news after Twitter shut down in Urumqi, China, AllFacebook reported Sunday.
China’s shutdown of Facebook is part of a larger social media trend where citizens are denied access to Facebook and Twitter as a means of enforcing state control over media. Google was also targeted in dramatic fashion on Chinese TV recently, when Google’s “autosuggest” search functionality was manipulated by Beijing to show how Google actually suggests that Chinese users search for porn online.
China is also watching Iran, where social media effectively provided live coverage of the election protests. An Internet exec commented to me that “it’s as exciting as the CNN coverage of the first Gulf War” to watch the protests unfold via Twitter.
Facebook Confirms China Problems:
Bloomberg covered Facebook’s coy response to being blocked in China:
“It does appear to be running slowly” in China, said Larry Yu, a spokesman for Palo Alto, California-based Facebook. “We’re looking into the matter, what the reason is for the service running slowly.”
Facebook using the words the “service is running slowly” is a bow to the power of the Chinese government. Larry’s choice of words also echoes the cautious approach to the Chinese market that all Internet majors are taking, after seeing Google’s problems in China and watching Yahoo!’s legal drama in China.
How Does the Government “Block Facebook”?
The Chinese government simply doesn’t let requests to Facebook.com be processed. Its really that simple to block Facebook. However, this level of control requires a sophisticated, large scale effort to accomplish.
China’s control over its Internet infrastructure is so complete that Internet packets addressed to Facebook servers are routinely deleted. China’s government is open about the fact that it inspects Internet traffic that 1) comes in and out of the country and 2) that travels around in the country. China uses sophisticated technologies like Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), where Internet routers analyze, drop and even save Internet packets – instead of simply passing them along (as they normally do).
China’s government control over information is not just technological – its economic. China’s government exerts control over every significant business in the country. Companies in China must be majority owned by a Chinese citizen, and even then are heavily regulated by the government. All the major corporations in China, including telecommunications and media companies, are state owned entities or are majority owned by the state. This exerts a significant level of state influence on how people receive and send information.
MySpace China
News Corp was forced to be a minority partner in MySpace China. MySpace could only launch operations in China if MySpace China was controlled and owned by a local company, and after receiving the appropriate licenses from various government ministries.
MySpace China was not targeted because it is “social media”. Yahoo Inc. and eBay Inc. both now follow China’s rules for foreign ownership of Internet companies, after attempting to reach Chinese citizens from operations based outside of China.
Future of Facebook China
Facebook may well face a permanent struggle in China. As the global leader in social media, Facebook should continue to give a voice to those challenging to the authority of the People’s Republic of China.
Will Facebook Be Banned On Every PC in China?
China recently mandated that all PCs in the country must use software called “Green Dam-Youth Escort“. Once installed, the software blocks your PC’s access to banned web sites. The Green Dam-Youth Escort software also does things we associate with spyware, like logging keystrokes, taking screen shots and sending information from your computer to third parties. If Facebook is put on the Green Dam-Youth Escort banned site list, it will dramatically impact Facebook’s international growth prospects.
Urumqi Crisis Victims
Our hearts go out to everyone killed, injured and disrupted in Urumqi. Hopefully you can read this.
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Is there any info as to when facebook will start working again in China?
Comment by Jenna — July 13, 2009 @ 5:29 pm
Their control is loosening as more and more Chinese, particular younger, become more technology literate and make use of the countless proxy services out there.
Comment by Oz — July 13, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
I have been working in China for a few years now. I cant wait to get out of this country. Internet speeds are garbage here, and now the crackdown on my freedom to surf has gone far enough. I can make my money somewhere else. I hope this toilet of a country all of the success in the world. But count me out. Its like living in a prison over here. And no the new generation isnt more progressive. They are brainwashed just as much as their parents. Only a robot would put up with this kind of slave experience and not revolt.
Comment by arog — July 15, 2009 @ 1:10 am
I hope the Facebook staff will do something about this. I have been a loyal user of FB ever since its early beginnings. I use the site everyday not just for communicating with friends but also for my personal business. I have invested thousands of dollars for my ads to run and I profited as well.
But now that FB is not accessible to China, how can I continue with my business? Some people thinks that it's just a virtual world and an addiction, but for me, I use FB as a source of income to give a better future to my kids. I own a business in China, and now we are simply shutting down thanks to their governments policies.
Coming to China is the worst investment I made.
Comment by Xena — July 15, 2009 @ 1:46 am
This is rubbish. The chinese don’t even use facebook. They have social networking sites of their own. AND THEY ARE NOT BANNED. How daft to thing the Chinese are organising a revolution using a foreign based website. The tools on the chinese based websites suit their language better. Stop thinking this has anything to do with Xinjiang.
Comment by john — July 17, 2009 @ 4:09 am
no mate you dont know how is like in china indeed there were fight which i disagree with you all WESTNER who are blaming the government. but indeed i hated that fact i cannot access face in China as well. although someone of you may claim that you have lived here for ages and you are talking about Chinese are brainwashed now you are wrong. my mates. you are brainwashed by the west media. which sells the ideas that anything against chinese government is appealing to the world. I dislike Chinese government more than you do. but you just can not mamboo. yeah. I am so anoyed that I cannot access facebook. blame president of the World Uighur Congress
Comment by sa — July 18, 2009 @ 4:35 am
this is again damn wrong the site has just block my comment.
a good example of western media contradiction. they always blaming china of doing blocking now they are doing it themselves. so sad
Comment by sam — July 19, 2009 @ 8:17 am
brainwashed somewhat, they put it all on the love of their country. I understand they need to be proud of who they are, but the wealthy and highly educated do know and understand the bull happening. But there are still a lot of people here that can't afford the best education and end up spending 1000 RMB a year for a university in small hick type towns in china with teachers that would get a job in any school with standards. I do know this for a fact because I have been teaching here for over seven years now. Progress has been made but the gov. has to worry because 1.6 Bil people is a lot. I have trouble with 30 of their children never mind hard headed dimwitted adults. some protests have happened but people here care about one thing and one thing only – themselves and the people they feel important to them. few and far between is the chinese person who cares enough about the environment to do something about it, who will help others even if it means they could harm themselves in the process, the uncorrupted official making money under the table. what freedoms we do have here is to be able to smoke virtually anywhere any time at work or not, with kids looking up to you or not, with non smokers around, to be able to litter anywhere without penalty, to drink and drive with out checks anywhere unless you cause an accident. to j-walk anywhere, etc., but I can't forgive the fact that they won't allow any more than a 4Mb internet connection for the public for huge top dollar! that is why facebook is slow in china!!!
Comment by justin — July 20, 2009 @ 8:55 am
edit:
But there are still a lot of people here that can’t afford the best education and end up spending 1000 RMB a year for a university in small hick type towns in china with teachers that WOULDN'T get a job in any school with standards.
but I can’t forgive the fact that they won’t allow any more than a 4Mb internet connection for the public for top dollar!
Comment by justin — July 20, 2009 @ 9:00 am
To all ppl in China who are unable to use FB. Are your locations at easy access to Hong Kong ? Lets carry your laptop and spend a day in Hong Kong. Use FB in Hong Kong. Lets boost the Hong Kong economy.
Comment by sttan — August 5, 2009 @ 12:25 am
Ummm, you can use Facebook in china. Try going to Beijing and logging on to facebook. It's easy. Same with hotmail. People don't half talk some crap. I was there last week, and I had zero problems.
Internet speeds vary in China, like anywhere else. No worse than in the states, where large parts of the country have terrible internet/cell phone coverage.
Comment by chineseman — October 17, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
See I just come to china after a wonderful day in thailand and I found out that Facebook is blocked!!!! WHAT!!!! HOw am I supposed to talk to my friends in thailand it is just sad!!! Just unblock facebook after a while. please
Comment by Hyunjee — October 25, 2009 @ 9:11 pm
my baby lost contact with his father in facebook…
Comment by lotus — October 28, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
Both Facebook and Twitter are covert Zionist controlled tools to dupe the people and spread chaos and mayhem. Block the crap. Let the people of Asia unit against the criminal zionist backed bastard corporations that are in Afghanistan and Iraq. Kick them out.These satanic groups need to go.
Comment by Truthteller — October 28, 2009 @ 9:30 pm
I might be going to china for school abd it's blocked???????? WTF WTF just WTF god damn I'm using my American pc
Comment by Frank — January 13, 2010 @ 1:18 pm
@arog. get the fuck out of china, and dont let the door hit you on the way out. dont come back either. i dont know how you go a visa anyway. i hope you get deported. sad how greedy losers like you will travel so far and live in a country you dont want to just to make money. all you morons complaining can join arog in his abyss. nobody invited you to china in the first place. who is forcing you to be here? if facebook is that important to you, then that just shows how much you really need to get a life.
Comment by ??? — February 8, 2010 @ 11:01 pm
So I will be a first time visitor to China in a couple of weeks…this was a last minute job offer so I am trying to learn everything I can about what it will be like there as I am traveling. I am an american photographer documenting an adoption story. Anyhow I will be in Hong Kong and Guangzhou for most of my trip. What can I expect in these areas will I have access to Facebook, or more importantly by Blog on Blogger? If anyone can answer these questions for me I really appreciate it.
Thanks
Comment by Jenn — February 23, 2010 @ 7:39 pm
wrong, Facebok SHOULD NOT BE USED as a political platform for radical voices wanting to cause social unrest
Facebook SHOULD be used as a social networking site, for your friends
those who dont actually have any friends should be banned from facebook
so should anyone using facebook for activism and radical ideologies be baneed from the service
If Facebook wants to be allowed in China, it needs to start kicking out its terrorist members and drug-addicted hippy users who dont want to create a social network of friends, but rather their aim is to create social inrest
or perhaps facebook could offer a tutorial to all facebook users on how to use facebook, how to have normal conversations, how to make friends, and how to behave socially, and kick off anyone who cant.
Facebook is NOT a political reform platform to allow terrorists to communicate, congregate, assemble, riot, and destroy other nations
facebook need to do some moderating, or be forever banned from china. they arent "struggling" they are flat out banned, even the mobile users cant reach them
they are DEAD in china
and will remain so until they start being a social networking site for friends again, not a terrorist networking site
Comment by 1337 — May 7, 2010 @ 7:03 pm
i appreciate our government act against facebook,i prefer only our native social networks,facebook workers begging to our government!!!! shame,shame……….
Comment by xieng chu — May 20, 2010 @ 8:02 am
I am an American. I am not a terrorist. Like the vast majority of people who are on Facebook, I use it to keep in touch with friends and family who live several hours away from me here in the States. I will soon be visiting China for 4 weeks to teach at a university there. It is very sad that I will not be able to maintain contact with my loved ones while I am away because of some silly belief that Facebook has the power to bring a country down. Are there other countries that are so paranoid or is it just China?
Comment by cat — June 4, 2010 @ 1:32 pm
heey yo, wtf mann, y the fuk is facebook blocked yo, wtf is dis shit, open up facebook, im loosin' all the connections wit ma boyz
Comment by little saint — June 30, 2010 @ 1:28 am
china has no freedom at all, i have been working here for 2 years and i know even the chinese hate the government, a lot of chinese want to leave china and have more freedom and wealth, it's not about facebook or twitter, the chinese government mentality will always be the same and they will never care about thier people they just care about themselves and how to make a lot of money, hong kong and taiwan they never wanted to come back to china ,it's was just the pressure from the chinese governmnet, i have some friends from hong kong and taiwan they hate to be called chinese, china is not civilized and open minded , that's the main problem
Comment by julio — July 28, 2010 @ 5:43 pm
its just facebook you lot are losers go spend some time readin a book or something fools.
Comment by Panda — September 23, 2010 @ 10:54 am
no facebook no life so fuck facebook wuahahah
Comment by killer — October 7, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
[...] to have Facebook unlocked over there, things won’t be easy. Last year, the Chinese government blocked Facebook when a large social protest by Uighur women took to Facebook to expose their truth and communicate [...]
Pingback by Ni Hao: Mark Zuckerberg Visits China — December 20, 2010 @ 11:51 am
I was just in Shanghai a couple of days ago. Couldn't log into FB. I'm computer savvy. No slow connections, no timing out. Pure and simple 'could not find FB' = No FB'ing to you!
Comment by sbiron — June 23, 2011 @ 3:01 am
China don't welcome you ! We Chinese people don't abuse another country like what you do !You are the shame of your country !!!
Comment by Mei — August 4, 2011 @ 4:26 am
hey. some Chinese leave China for study or work. It doesn't mean they don't love their motherland. You also worked in China for 2 years. Does it mean you don't love your country? I have many foreign friends. They love China and leave in China and plan to leave here forever!
Comment by Mei — August 4, 2011 @ 4:53 am
I love China ! love China forever ! All the abuse go the hell ! Very soon China will let all of you know that how funny the abuse is and how ignorant you are ! Nothing can block China ! We are becoming more and more stronger!!
Comment by Mei — August 4, 2011 @ 5:07 am
yeah LEAVE CHINA lol
Comment by ron — August 21, 2011 @ 10:47 am
chrochro17@yahoo.com
Comment by ???? ???? ???? — October 15, 2011 @ 10:26 am
chrochro17@yahoo.com
Comment by ???? ???? ???? — October 15, 2011 @ 10:26 am
chrochro17@yahoo.com
Comment by ???? ???? ???? — October 15, 2011 @ 10:49 am
China doesn't welcome anything . He is not abusing anything , your abusing yourself . When he used the term 'Brainwashed' i see 100% what he is talking about . All of China is in the face of shame , but people like him , are seeing through the stupidity . People like you that are 'brainwashed' and blinded by the stupidity are the robots he spoke of . You live like slaves and have your life run for you , you are human beings and have rights whether it's only something as access to the internet . I don't know , other countries might look at it differently but in America , we are all equal , ages , and sizes alike . America might be a crooked country yes , but it's fair . All you have to do is abide by the law and in those boundaries you can do anything . I'm not putting your country upfront but I saw this and I agree 110% .
Comment by MON3Y MIC — October 27, 2011 @ 10:27 am