China shuts down blogs
RSF says the Chinese government has shut down two blog hosting sites, for allowing bloggers to post articles critical of the government. At least 15,000 weblogs have been shut down as a result. [ed: Chinese political bloggers might like to investigate Invisiblog.com, an untraceable weblog publishing service]
The site Blogbus.com was closed on 11 March “until further notice” for allowing a letter to be posted that was critical of the government. It was the turn of Blogcn.com to be shut down on 14 March.“After closing websites and discussion forums, the Chinese authorities are now targeting blogs, one of the last outlets for expression still open to Internet-users,” said the international press freedom organisation.
Blogbus.com and Blogcn.com allow Chinese Internet-users the chance to keep up a personal page without any technical knowledge. The sites are very popular, Blogbus.com alone hosting more than 15,000 blogs that have now been made inaccessible.
– RSF, Censorship stepped up to target blogging.
Other recent RSF news from China: Zhang Shengqi tried in secret for publishing Christian articles on the internet, and censors block access to Wall Street Journal and Deutchse Welle.