Don't Silence China's Video-Sharing Sites

Ramping up a startup business in China is challenging enough already, but try doing one in the video sharing space these days. With the Beijing Olympics taking political sensitivities to the forefront, topics that might usually go unnoticed are drawing attention from government censors on the Internet.

I recently returned from a trip to Beijing and interviewed one of the founders of a Chinese video web site, which has a business model and product that is a good deal like YouTube in the U.S. But conditions for this Chinese site are much different than its U.S. counterpart.

The Chinese government recently knocked several video sharing sites off the Internet, including this one, reportedly because it carried pornographic content. Actually, I'm told the offensive content came from two movies that went beyond the Chinese norm and showed romantic love-making.

The site was down for at least 24 hours. Viewers were met with a message notifying them that the site was undergoing a "technical upgrade."

While the video sharing sites are now up and live again on the Net in China, episodes like this have made individuals in the media content area nervous in the political capital of Beijing. Indeed, many now self-censor their remarks to journalists, particularly those representing foreign press.

They want to keep a low profile now, understandably. That's true even when it comes to seemingly innocuous matters such as raising new financings to expand their business. Before the protests over the Olympics and human rights issues became front-page news in papers worldwide, an event such as attracting more money to support a startup used to see an unleashing of press releases and fanfare. Now, such news has been silenced. The fear is that their video site will once again attract too much attention from the government and may be closed.

This is a shame and an irony. Video sharing sites came into being in China as a way for people to express themselves openly. Now with politics running high in the run-up to the Olympics, even those who founded video sharing sites as an open forum are silencing themselves and with that, the millions of Chinese who have learned full well how to use this new medium.

Here's an even greater fear. If criticism of China continues to escalate over Tibet and human rights issues, China may turn defensive and the Beijing Olympics may not be the door opener for the nation that it could have been. The Olympics are the moment that China has long awaited to show the world its pride. Let's not crush that.

Comments

[Observer1]

Sorry Rebecca:

Obviously, people did not understand what you said.
If you want more readers, just make up some stories about crackdowns and disappearing in the night and pollution, and then you will get some where.

[Mrrar]

Did.. You seriously just defend China for being a genocidal, tyrannical, brain-washing nation to such an extent that George Orwell would be saying "I told you so"?

Seriously? Good, frigging, lord, you must have the blinders on tight.

I will happily criticize China.

China Delenda Est!

[ImmanuelGoldstein]

Show the world their pride? Their pride in crushing the Tibetans?

[SonofLiberty1]

It sure sounds like you are trying to have a pity party for China.

If you are you are WRONG!

Sorry, but it looks like you are a NEOCON something I wouldn't really
wish on anyone!

Please do your homework!