[pin]

seems the chinese government have gone back on the their promise for free internet access:

AFP: China to censor Internet during Olympics: organisers

IOC knew about internet restrictions | The Australian

and many other news sources.

[Sleuth]

Did you really expect a different outcome?

[Claire ex-ax]

Actually I think this is the IOC's fault for "misleading" journalists and the rest of the world. Clearly the IOC knew that China would not allow free Internet access during the Games. Perhaps it thought China could be talked around. Or perhaps the IOC is a corrupt bunch of wan... people who go where the money is.

[hullexile]

Actually think it is a bit of a storm about nothing. If the foreign journalists desperately want to see something on the internet can't they just get someone back home to copy it and send it by email? Any journalist who really believed there was going to be free internet access in China should not be in the job!

[er2]

Originally Posted by hullexile

Actually think it is a bit of a storm about nothing. If the foreign journalists desperately want to see something on the internet can't they just get someone back home to copy it and send it by email? Any journalist who really believed there was going to be free internet access in China should not be in the job!

I don't think that is the point here. Those journalists certainly all have IPSec VPNs to their home servers. The point is more that this is a very blatant breach of what was promised - ok, not that the other ones were very subtle.

I'd say the media frenzy about this is more because this is a pretty offensive move of the Chinese Government, and it is totally pointless at the same time (as if the Bocog would care whether an Italian journalist could reach a Falun Gong website directly or via his VPN gateway in Milan). It is a message - "yes, we're breaking the promises we gave and we don't give a shit. And noone else does either. We don't even need a reason! So back off!"

[Claire ex-ax]

From RTHK:

The International Olympic Committee and the Chinese organisers have agreed to lift all Internet restrictions for the Beijing Games. IOC vice-president Gunilla Lindberg told Reuters that BOCOG had agreed to lift bans on websites such as Amnesty International, following a meeting last night. This latest development comes after the IOC denied ever doing a deal with Mainland authorities to censor the internet during the Games.

[Lammarite]

The IOC deserves all they are getting- they went into this with their eyes wide open.
BOCOG knows that the IOC ARen't going to pull the plug on the whole thing thsi late in the game so why not do what they want? I'm sure this is only the beginning.

[Crocodile]

The two are as bad as each other. One is full over over-paid back-slappers who don't really report to anyone, do all their work mysteriously behind closed doors and take "incentives" and other junkets regularly. The other is the Chinese Government Officials.

The hold that the IOC have over the word "Olympic" and "Games" make China look not-so-strict on rules. Actually, not even sure I can use them in the same sentence without paying a royalty.

[Lammarite]

Originally Posted by Crocodile

The hold that the IOC have over the word "Olympic" and "Games" make China look not-so-strict on rules. Actually, not even sure I can use them in the same sentence without paying a royalty.

At least you didn't show a picture of the Olympic rings. Every time you do they kill a kitten.

[sylvesterjay]

For a government that is eager to showcase themselves on the world stage, they are doing a pretty poor job. Then again, they seem to think the way they do things should be exported to other countries...case in point their handling of the torch run thru other countries