China Won't Stop Censoring Web for Olympics

Despite push for openness, Chinese law appears to allow much room to maneuver
By Laila Weir,  Newser Staff
Posted May 8, 2008 2:37 PM CDT
China Won't Stop Censoring Web for Olympics
Rong Jun, head of ticketing for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games organizing committee, walks past a logo for the games ticketing during a press conference, April 15, 2007.   (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

China apparently will continue to censor the Internet during August's Olympics, but says the international press will have the access it needs to function, Jacqui Cheng writes on Ars Technica. Officials said they would guarantee as much access “as possible,” but “controls on some unhealthy websites” would continue. In defense, they said, “every country limits access to some websites.”

The International Olympic Committee reiterated to China a month ago that the Internet must be "open at all times during Games time," because the Olympic agreement includes a commitment to allow the press to report freely. However, there appears to be little the committee can do to force China to forego all Internet filtering during the event. (More China stories.)

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