News in IT

Wikipedia is blocked in China yet again. Navtej kohli IT blog brings the latest scoop!


After being accessible for over two months, Wikipedia’s English website
is blocked again in china. This irregular availability of the site has
been a constant phenomenon since last eight months.

However, the site was available till recently when users in Beijing and
Shanghai confirmed that they were no longer able to access the website.



China regularly blocks access to websites that it finds objectionable,
including those dealing with politically sensitive subjects such as the
Falun Gong religious cult and independence for Taiwan and Tibet, along
with some pornographic sites. The Chinese government does not announce
or comment on when a site is blocked or made available.

Because the version of events or political views expressed on Wikipedia
are not necessarily in line with those of the Chinese government, the
government may be blocking access to the site.


The current blocking may be related to the upcoming Communist Party
Congress, which begins Oct. 15 in Beijing. Held once every five years,
the meeting is the Chinese government's most important political
gathering, used to create five-year plans, which are the bedrock of
China's centrally-planned economy. It is also often used to reshuffle
government positions or for leaders to consolidate their power.


While Wikipedia's English site is occasionally available, its
Chinese-language sites are almost permanently blocked, although access
is sometimes permitted for one or two days at a time.