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No More Free Online Video Content for China

It must be under state control… or else!

By Vlad Constandes, SEO News Editor

4th of January 2008, 15:16 GMT

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I knew I liked the idea of communism for a reason. It is the one political doctrine that I've gone through and that actually lets you take away what is basically free and allowed to everybody and say "you can't have that" without having to worry for serious consequences. How cool is that? Different points of view? No, we can't have that, I say we cut off their means of spreading the seeds of disorder.

It's not been two months since China has stopped

blocking YouTube and now they have some new laws passed that will be in place starting January 31st : sites that provide video programming or allow users to upload video are put under the obligation to get a permit and be either state-owned or state-controlled. The permits will be subject to renewal every three years and the operators that might commit violations may be banned for up to 5 years, as Duncan Riley of TechCrunch.com reports.

You just have to love the way they twist and turn the law in order to make everything fit into place as long as the "place" is controlled by them. I'm thinking every home should have such a communist means of treating their children, if they prove too radical or just don't listen to their parents. But I'm digressing. The main point that is to be hit with these laws is that videos which involve national secrets, hurt China's reputation, disrupt social stability or promote pornography, will be held in check. You see, the way it sounds when you say it like this is fine, nothing bad happening. The part with state-owned or state-controlled is nowhere justifiable by this, but they mustn't always give a reason.

YouTube is worried and, as a spokesman said in the Sydney Morning Herald, the new regulations "could be a cause of concern, depending on the interpretation". I'm sure they would, after all, YouTube greatly benefits from the billion of people in China seeing their ads.

TAGS:

china | video | censorship

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