Olympic head: No deal on Internet censorship

Olympic officials on Saturday said there was "no deal" with the Chinese government to restrict Internet access for foreign journalists covering the Beijing Games.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said during a press conference in Beijing that he is "adamant in saying there has been no deal whatsoever to accept restrictions," according to the BBC. In addition, he applauded the organization of the Summer Games, falling short of an apology following widespread public criticism that China had backtracked on assurances that members of the media would not be restricted.

Rogge did not address reports that had surfaced earlier this week that some Olympic officials had been aware of negotiations with the Chinese government. On Wednesday, IOC press chief Kevan Gosper told Reuters that committee members had cut a deal to let the Chinese government block sensitive sites.

"I regret that it now appears BOCOG (Beijing's Olympic organizers) has announced that there will be limitations on Web site access during games time," Gosper had told Reuters. "I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered games related."

While China has since unblocked a number of sites, The Associated Press said that, as of Saturday morning, many sites the Chinese government disapproves of continued to be blocked, though the sites that are blocked appear to change daily.

The Chinese government and the IOC are facing ever more international scrutiny, as critics voice concerns that the country could be trying to restrict the gaze of its world audience during the upcoming Olympic Games. Besides the limited Net access, some broadcasters have complained about restricted live television shots of Tiananmen Square.

Click here for more stories on tech and the Beijing Olympics.

[ikramerica--2008]

The proof is in the pudding, not what the corrupt IOC or the Chinese leadership says. If the press is being denied access, the conditions are not being met.

[Lerianis]

Exactly right. If ANY sites are being blocked (other than pornography sites), then the conditions are not being met. Though, if the sites being blocked are changing DAILY... it reeks to me of the internet companies not being able to decide which sites are okay or not, and that they need guidance from China's leaders on which sites are okay.

[professionaladventurer]

What about dialing a ISP in the US with an old fashioned modem? would that work?

[Jonathan]

Hehe And you think phone lines in China aren't monitored?

[BlutoNYC]

I think China would have been better off passing up on the Olympics. When you try to censor and limit access to everyone, why would you want to partake in an event which puts you in the spotlight on so many levels? I give their government another 20 years tops before it falls and a democracy rises.

[OSXRadio]

It's gonna be hard to keep the Chinese from accessing such information for much longer. So many expats live there now, people offering western mannerism courses, high end shopping centers being developed. Pretty soon, China will be westernized, and hopefully, the damn government will grow up and stop this bs censorship.

[Jonathan]

Never underestimate the power of tech. The great firewall of china is only a start for them. Hell as if such things aren't being thrown around as ideas in other countries as well. Take the idea the FCC has thrown out about a nation wide wireless network....oh and without porn. While I don't have a problem with not having porn how many innocent sites would get scooped up in such a filter. America isn't immune to the idea of filters....god forbid little bobby sees a boob or a ****.

[jtfan2004]

They should never have award the games to China in the first place. Their human rights record is disgusting, their air quality in Beijing is disgusting, the censorship of SPORTS is disgusting. They're about everything that the games aren't meant to be. The whole setup is about showing off the power of the few hundred Communist leaders rather than the pride and work ethic of the Chinese people.

[C3Y0]

so true

[devon.leslie]

Is it interesting to see this corrupt organisation attempt to distance itself from the reality we all expected in the first place. The IOC has really painted itself into a corner this year - first with the suspension of Iraq athletes over grossly-disturbing double-standards, second with last-minute athlete bans over tests that occured a year ago and finally the censorship scandal. As a Canadian, it still makes me smirk to think that Toronto could lose to a city that literally spray-painted their grass green and forced thousands of women and children to paint roadside railings for the benefit of IOC examiners - but none of that really mattered, did it? I think the IOC should remain in China after the games conclude - if only so that they can rot in the oppression that they support and endorse through their own actions. I will be boycotting the olympics this year as a viewer and will be encouraging others to do so until the IOC is summarily sacked and replaced with something more credible.

[dowlingwj]

If the IOC is as corrupt as you say then enjoy the irony. In allowing the games to be held in Beijing the world is being reminded of the failings of the Chinese political regime as seen by the western media.
If the Chinese government is so driven to 'save face' as we are lead to believe then change may evolve!

[artistjoh]

I am surprised no one has drawn the obvious parallel between Beijing 2008 and Berlin 1936, both flawed due to a propaganda seeking dictatorship that wants to control everything. In both cases the regime spared no expense in making spectacular venues, and in neither case does that distract from the rotten smell that permeates the excercise.

China did not learn the lesson of Atlanta that hosting the games can be a double edged sword. Get it right and it serves your city and country well. Get it wrong and it has the opposite effect. Atlanta suffered from poor organization and an unexciting location. Beijing wants us to believe it is well organized but the city is full of unfinished projects, and heavy handed handling of human rights issues and Internet censorship are leaving lots of people with a bad taste in the mouth. Olympics in places like Athens or Sydney were easy to get excited about, but Beijing is either uninteresting or down right off-putting.

[Lerianis]

You are quite right. The fact is that 1936 and 2008 are so in parallel, that it is FRIGHTENING at worst, and sad at best.
The IOC should have NEVER given the Olympics to China until China became a democracy. The United States should also stop doing business with China and start putting SEVERE pressure on the pocketbooks of the Chinese, so that they might finally revolt against their 'leaders' and get rid of them.

[humanssssss]

I dealt with Chinese people before. They are the kind that never respect contract. They are liars. People like them should not be trusted to do business with. I think the Olympic shouldn't be given to China ever again. It's a mistake at first.

[sroussey]

So is my site, http://www.network54.com/ blocked for journalists like it is for all of China?

[gerrrg]

The IOC:


We never negotiated with China to allow restrictions.

And by 'negotiate', I mean we simply accepted the Memorandum of Understanding that BOCOG issued, stating that it was their prerogative to do what they wanted.

And by 'their prerogative', I mean that we're not a political association, we're a sports association, and we don't care about who we deal with, as long as we get paid.

And by getting 'paid', I mean that we weren't in any way paid off to agree to the Memorandum of Understanding.



Now I don't know how MORE clear I can be to state this, as a matter of fact, due to the confusion of the nature of the obfuscation that was perpetuated by the confusion of the media. You can understand that we are deeply disturbed by our confusion over the media's misunderstandings. And Mao is Great.

[jef5623]

But the Question still remains there that should the Internet Be Censored in the 7th age of computing ?

[benjaminstraight]

The Olympic Games, by their virtue, open up access. Yet the fight continues.

[benjaminstraight]

The Chinese simply want to continue to control perception.

[jamalystic]

I think now the west is getting a taste of what millions of ordinary chinese folks have been experiencing for years. It's a shame that the olympics. which are a symbol of unity, freedom and tolerance should be hosted ubder such a hostle atmosphere: China Spoils YouTube Spoiler(http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=466&doc_id=160532&F_src=flftwo)

[SHADuck]

the government has to figure a way to keep more of its work force employed. That's what creates this bureaucracy and a growing economy.

live here with the people before you comment

[cephalis]

I have the feeling that the communist leadership knows that their oppressive control of what their people see and hear is doomed. Information wants to be free and the Chinese people have thousands of years of experience in finding ways around government regulation. I am sure they will soon have discovered how to communicate with whomever they wish, if they are not doing so already.

[jjh483]

this is what happins when you do not test the testers
if they are going to test the athetes for drugs
then some one should test the IOC and see if they are smarter than a fith greader.
it seems that the IOC are stuck in 70s summer and winter games
this sh%t with the internet should have been fixed years ago
if the chinese drop the net then the net prople should ask for there $$$$ back

[jjh483]

the reporters should just once do this

go back to there homes and watch it on TV and do there reports
then they would realy see how much of the games the rest of thhe world realy sees
maybe then with all the non reporting the IOC mite get there head and sholders out of the sand or the hosting citys ??? and make all open games part of the deal to win the games

[dowlingwj]

My dealings with Chinese people has only been in Australia. Based on my experienceI cannot support your comments about Chinese people, may be I have been lucky.
I have found them honest, hard working people and in business they are highly competitive.
I have been treated by two Chinese medical professionals one a doctor the other a herbalist in one case for eight years.Both have qualified in Australia at Australian Universities.
No doubt there would be many thousands of similar examples in North America or where you come from!

[Abdul Khalil Latifi]

watching olympic 2008