Tibet album may have spurred China iTunes block
An album supporting Tibetan freedom may have led China's government to sever access to Apple's iTunes Store.
This week, Chinese users of iTunes have found themselves unable to access the online store, something that Apple acknowledged but would not say whether it was a technical glitch or a move on the part of the censors.
(Credit:
Art of Peace Foundation)
"We are aware of the log-on problems but we have no comment at the moment," the company told the Associated Press.
The incident comes amid the 2008 Olympics, when all eyes are on China--a country well known for its censorship.
Songs for Tibet--The Art of Peace, the album in question, was put forth by the Art of Peace Foundation. According to the nonprofit's Web site, the album supports "peace initiatives and Tibetan cultural preservation projects important to the Dalai Lama," the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Songs were contributed by high-profile artists like Moby, Ben Harper, John Mayer, Sting, Alanis Morissette, and Dave Matthews.
The nonprofit also speaks out against Chinese censorship of the Internet and how the country had assured that it would permit open access during the Olympics to journalists, only to pull away from that promise when the Games actually began.
"We focused on raising awareness of 'The Great Firewall of China,' the state sponsored information filtering apparatus that monitors and controls e-mails and Web sites within China," Michael Wohl, the nonprofit's executive director, said at a press conference on August 7. "The Great Firewall is a tool used by the Chinese government to stifle grassroots dissent and prevent the freedoms of speech and press. U.S. corporations play a roll in aiding and abetting the implementation of the Great Firewall of China. Though the issue is complex, it requires substantially more public discussion on how U.S. information technology is being used to deny 1.3 billion people fundamental rights."
Wohl told the AP that he believes the Chinese government blocked access to the iTunes Store when the Art of Peace Foundation publicized this week that more than 40 Olympic athletes had downloaded the digital album in solidarity with the Tibetan cause.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
I also suppose that the chinese gov't has never oppressed anyone either? I mean, they had a fun, peaceful party with tanks at tiananmen square. And they never jail or execute political dissidents who just want freedom.
I'll give you this, China has never invaded any hostile, belligerent countries in the past century. They have tended to pick on weaker countries that were not belligerent to them or a threat before being invaded. They also had a blast helping the north koreans in the 50's invade south korea.
I see a bull lifting its tail.
1979 invasion of Northern Vietnam by China
1950-1951 invasion of Tibet by China
1910 invasion of Tibet by China
What on Earth makes you think I'm for the American administration's policies? I'm Canadian and as far as I'm concerned, Americans are capable and most certainly guilty (directly or by association) of having perpetrated the worst atrocities this planet has had to endure. But when a Chinese Communist Party hack such as R0isin comes on here trying to whitewash his country's government, I can't help but reply.
when the heck did canada start to exist? should you exit for native to take back its land? please don't tell me those natives are long gone, taken out by aliens.
Natives? Forgive me for not living in centuries past. It's the ---> 21st <--- century, life term prison sentences for opposing the Communist Party's views does not live up to the image China is trying top portray of itself.
Your point is valid. But, the US is not so innocent, either. Look at how many people we have put death or imprisoned for life when they did not even commit a crime: our justice system is somewhat broken. Further, look how many people go to jail for 5 years for relatively pettiest offenses, like being a witness to some event and refusing to talk because you don't want to incriminate your spouse or wanting to honor your word as a reporter. And, do you think it?s fitting to go to jail for driving 15mph over the speed limit on an unfamiliar 4-lane highway on the edge of town at 10PM when there are few cars on the road when the speed limit was, much to your surprise, 35mph when less than a mile back it was 55? Oops, you missed that sign, but jail for you! That happens in some states. Our country is absolutely too quick to charge people with crimes and throw them in jail, so I don't really think we can say a word about what China does.
21st century is not too late for giving back what shall not be yours, specially because of the brutal ways your forebears inflicted onto natives. every time when i heard of the word "holocaust", i just could not shake off the impression of native american were annihilated. and yet, you or your types called it as "exploration".
Native americans (U.S., canada, Mexico, latin america, etc.) certainly deserve to have the wrongs against their ancestors (and current wrongs) redressed. (and in the US, i think we need to stop honoring andrew jackson, he was the most genocidal president) But, killing people for what their ancestors did many years ago is just as wrong, especially when all of the americas are large enough to sustain everyone. Of course, in the US, Canada, and some of the american countries, Native American descendants can speak up about this. In china, they would be beaten, put in jail, and even executed (Replace native american with tibetan).
No one's asking for the chinese in tibet to be slaughtered. The tibetans want to be recognized as a people with rights. They want freedom. China is like the US during the 19th century.
BTW, anakin2006, are you a native american or a chinese apologist? I respect the opinion of a native american descendant, but not the opinion of someone who attempts to justify their country's wrongs with finger pointing.
- by anakin2006 August 28, 2008 11:13 AM PDT
- gabeheim
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(18 Comments)does it matter if i were a native american or chinese or whatever think of? so you only respect me if i am a native american, why? because you know i pose no danger to you thanks to your forebears? well, i don't understand your logic here.
so far no one has yet convinced me that chinese government treated tibetan chinese differently from non-tibetan chinese. show me one example of mistreatment which is different from the one non-tibetan chinese received. if china behaved like US in 19th century, then we would not see any minorities in china after 4000 years of history. yes, there were fights between minority groups in china, but i have yet seen a single example where a whole race was wiped out in chinese history of 4000 years.
your claim of "tibetans want to be recognized as a people with rights. ..." sounds like tibetan chinese was singled out by chinese gov. to be "slaughtered". can you provide any evidence on it?
sometimes things always are irony: if one can examine deeper, we can always find those on moral high ground as hypocrite.