Gov't Censorship Pushing Users To More Private Messaging In China 47
An anonymous reader writes What happens when the Chinese government drastically restricts the type of speech that can be used in their country's most popular public forum? Users start migrating to more private options, naturally. Microblogging service Sina Weibo is bleeding users, while the semiprivate WeChat is growing expansively. It's growing so quickly that the government is stepping up its efforts to monitor and delete conversations that don't meet its exacting standards. The site's posting rules have developed in an interesting way, given the lack of free speech: "WeChat allows the creation of public accounts that anyone can follow, but limits posts to one a day. In addition, access to public accounts is not possible on cellphones, making it more difficult, for instance, to launch an incriminating photo of a public official into the blogosphere. Comments are also deleted after a few days, making long-term discussions challenging and erasing a historical record." Is this the natural result of government meddling in online conversations? What will chat services in China (and other speech-stifling nations) look like in another five or ten years?
China is doing it SO wrong. (Score:1)
You're not supposed to suppress dissent - just privatise the media, consolidate it, and drown out your opponents.
Have they learned nothing from the US?
*checks debt clock* oh fair enough
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Give the people all the far left, right, far right populist, pundits, crusaders against corrupt politicians, faith based groups, labor rights activists, news aggregator sites, fronts for foundations, fronts for tax free think tanks, charities and self made talk radio stars they want.
Over time the thinking public will level out onto some online community and quote 1984 or/and libertarian authors a
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wait wait wait... (Score:3)
Comments are also deleted after a few days, making long-term discussions challenging and erasing a historical record.
so let me get this straight... the country with arguably one of the best written histories over millennia, is no longer allowing history to be maintained?
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so let me get this straight... the country with arguably one of the best written histories over millennia, is no longer allowing history to be maintained?
Victors and the rulers still get to keep making and writing history. Peasants, dont.
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Comments are also deleted after a few days, making long-term discussions challenging and erasing a historical record.
so let me get this straight... the country with arguably one of the best written histories over millennia, is no longer allowing history to be maintained?
Nonsense. The government continues recording detailed historical information, just as its predecessors did.
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If it goes against that the government has decreed to be true, yes.
Ask an average Chinese citizen what happened in Tainanmen Square in April of 1989. And they will either tell you "nothing at all", or that some unruly dissidents needed to be quieted down. Their understanding of what happened doesn't match what those of us who watched it live on TV rememb
other speech-stifling nations (Score:1)
You mean like the US... and every other country on the planet? Does anyone notice what happens to people that try to expose corruption?
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By publishing this, Slashdot is damaging its reputation.
Slashdot didn't publish it. The NY Times did.
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No, they're reporting that it ran in the NYT, which is exactly what they're supposed to be doing.
Soon it wont matter (Score:1)
It will reach the point that it wont matter what you are saying. If you are hiding your conversations from the Chinese government as a citizen at all, its grounds enough for them to come collect you and imprison you forever. ( or just shoot you and your family on the spot )
Great post (Score:1)