WSJ: China bans YouTube

The Chinese government has apparently moved to block YouTube once again.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the government began blocking the site slowly over the past 24 hours. Quoting a Google spokesman, the Journal reported that the company has not been given a reason for the ban.

A Chinese official was asked about the ban during a press conference on Tuesday and said the "Chinese government has taken up management of the network according to the laws," the Journal reported.

"YouTube has been blocked in China," Google said in a statement. "We don't know the reason for the blockage, and we're working to restore access to our users in China."

By now, YouTube and parent company Google should be expert at handling international crises. Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and Thailand are among the countries that have cut off access to the Web's largest video site. Most of the countries have eventually brought it back.

A year ago, China blocked YouTube in an apparent attempt to prevent the outside world from anti-government protesters clashing with police inside Tibet. China eventually unblocked YouTube.

[gsmiller88]

I think the bigger news is that they had unblocked YouTube in the first place.

[rollcage]

The even bigger new is that they had ever allowed YouTube.

[The_happy_switcher]

You can only contain 1.3 billion people for so long.

[Lerianis3]

I don't know.... Apple seems to have brainwashed and contained it's customers pretty well, so China might actually have a chance of this panning out for them..... yeah, I'm being a troll, but I couldn't resist!

[catch23]

AppleRocks1963
What, 60 years now since the founding of the PRC, with no real signs of it ending?
Only so long, eh?

Lerianis3
China has been at it a lot longer then Apple.
But with the attitude Apple has been showing of late in abusing its customers, they are learning fast.

[Chapmaniac]

This isn't really a surprise to anyone.

[jc364]

Classic case of government controlling the people, rather than the people controlling the government. Although, I wonder what the people of China think of this... it wouldn't surprise me if a majority of them support this move.

[Lerianis3]

Most people in China do not support things like this. When they are able to speak out without fear of their words getting back to the 'wrong ears'.... most of them don't think that communism (actually, elitism) is the best thing under the sun.

[Pete Bardo]

China's probably upset over videos showing the toxic fumes coming from sheet rock manufactured in that country....

[Lerianis3]

Showing the toxic fumes? Last I heard, the fumes were invisible to the naked eye.

[W7ILL]

Really I can't say that this is a big surprise. I don't think that the block will last that long I mean theres alot of people in China that are gonna want to unblock Youtube and surely youtube is already working on a solution.

[hackingbear]

No problem, just time to pay some money to the door keeping officials. Everything will be fine next week.

[sakana2009]

e do...I'm a Chinese.(Now just a high school student .) What I want to say is that I really hate what the government did. There is no freedom of speech here, most of my classmates know nothing about the 1989. We were educated that our Party is the greatest from the first day we went school.....I really hate the communism, but I cannot do anything...

[rainyxiaoxiao]

China Goverment must has one reason that has to do so!!