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It may be better to block it. In the long term the Chinese might learn that is better not to block internet than to loose the resources it provides. An interest

It may be better to block it. In the long term the Chinese might learn that is better not to block internet than to loose the resources it provides. An interesting twist would be to make every popular site to be banned. The Chinese government seems intelligent enough to understand that China will be better if they can use the resources provided by the rest of the world. They are not Syria.

hunvreus 14y ago
Two things: - "In the long term" doesn't make for a more favorable environment to the tech savvy users supposed to push that change. - I'm not sure you quite understand how ballsy they are. If they've cut Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and find time to screw in a real sneaky fashion with Google, I think it's safe to say they'd block Github without even thinking twice.
- spamwatch 14y ago
  Then put this type of info (and references to Tienanmen Square) on every important science and technology website in the world. At some point, the government either has to let go and start freeing things up, or end up isolating themselves further. At the very least, it'll highlight the problem to the populace. My own government is seeking to restrict Internet openness. Sucks. Highlight it at every opportunity, I say.
  - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
    Yep. If the gov has to block everything, they come closer to being compare to North Korea and Iran. I hate the blocking, and the VPN disruption lately is absolutely painful, but maybe if they piss enough people off, their will he some significant pushback. Xi is not getting off to a good start.
- aneth4 14y ago
  And NYTimes, Bloomberg, UK Telegraph, and many others. China actually blocks the services for many reasons other than just censorship. It's also a very effective method of protectionism. China now has its own thriving social networks - QQ, Weixin, and successful e-commerce and search sites. This may not have occurred if China did not use censorship as an excuse to block US based sites.

hunvreus 14y ago

Two things: - "In the long term" doesn't make for a more favorable environment to the tech savvy users supposed to push that change. - I'm not sure you quite understand how ballsy they are. If they've cut Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and find time to screw in a real sneaky fashion with Google, I think it's safe to say they'd block Github without even thinking twice.

spamwatch 14y ago
Then put this type of info (and references to Tienanmen Square) on every important science and technology website in the world. At some point, the government either has to let go and start freeing things up, or end up isolating themselves further. At the very least, it'll highlight the problem to the populace. My own government is seeking to restrict Internet openness. Sucks. Highlight it at every opportunity, I say.
- seanmcdirmid 14y ago
  Yep. If the gov has to block everything, they come closer to being compare to North Korea and Iran. I hate the blocking, and the VPN disruption lately is absolutely painful, but maybe if they piss enough people off, their will he some significant pushback. Xi is not getting off to a good start.
aneth4 14y ago
And NYTimes, Bloomberg, UK Telegraph, and many others. China actually blocks the services for many reasons other than just censorship. It's also a very effective method of protectionism. China now has its own thriving social networks - QQ, Weixin, and successful e-commerce and search sites. This may not have occurred if China did not use censorship as an excuse to block US based sites.