Google: China Banned YouTube Again
March 24, 2009 by Allison Boyer
Filed under Business
Google confirmed today that access to their video sharing site, YouTube, is currently being blocked in China. Reports of the ban began surfacing late yesterday.
This is not the first time YouTube has been blocked in this country. About a year ago, China’s government banned YouTube after users began posting images of the riots in Tibet. Earlier, in late 2007, both Google and YouTube were reportedly blocked during a meeting by the communist party.
Although Google has confirmed the block, they say they don’t know why it happened.
“We do not know the reason for the blockage, but we are working to restore access to YouTube in China as quickly as possible.”
YouTube was blocked in Pakistan last month after a user posted “a video deemed insulting to Islam” and was banned n Bangladesh in early March after the posting of an audio recording for an angry conversation between army officers and the prime minister. You can see a full list of countries that have banned YouTube here.
Sites like YouTube rely on visitors to stay in business, and a long-term ban in one of the largest countries in the world could have a very negative effect on the site.
Image via dannysullivan.
