PF Blocked in China: Increasing Censorship Methods

  • Thread starter Moridin
  • Start date
In summary: When I was in China (the heart of mainland Communist China with giant pictures of Chairman Mao) I was able to browse around on the internet without finding any sites which were outright blocked. I went to China last year and the sites were blocked. I believe that the sites which are claimed to be ‘blocked’ are not 100% accurate.
  • #1
Moridin
692
3
http://greatfirewallofchina.org/test/

'The censorship methods used by the Chinese government are becoming more sophisticated, more refined and more extensive every year, involving an increasing number of local as well as foreign parties in their system.'

This is quite disturbing and sad. It would seem as the PF website is banned in China.
 
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  • #2
That said, how do we know that the website in the OP works the way it announces it works ?
 
  • #3
It says my location is Australia. :rolleyes:
(I'm not from Australia)
 
  • #4
Moridin said:
This is quite disturbing and sad. It would seem as the PF website is banned in China.
Last month I stayed one month in China and I had no problems accessing PF.
 
  • #5
Free Tibet

I'd be surprised, aside from the politics forum there really isn't anything worth censoring on PF, is there?
 
  • #6
dontdisturbmycircles said:
Free Tibet

I'd be surprised, aside from the politics forum there really isn't anything worth censoring on PF, is there?

Wasn't pengwuino worth censoring? :tongue2:
 
  • #7
Is that true? I cannot believe that sort of thing anyway. Why on Earth does that thing block yahoo.com, and also msn.com? And guess what, they also block Google... Aaaarrrghhh, what the heck are they thinking? Isolating from the rest of the worls I guess. :rolleyes: :bugeye:
 
  • #8
I think that the google thing is proof that it is not accurate as I am pretty sure that google has bent over backwards to meet China's censorship demands.
 
  • #10
Hm wow, my bad. I thought that there was an article in the news not too too long ago about how people were mad because google was censoring search results per China's request. I guess they have gone to the next level since then.
 
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  • #11
dontdisturbmycircles said:
Hm wow, my bad. I thought that there was an article in the news not too too long ago about how people were mad because google was censoring search results per China's request. I guess they have gone to the next level since then.
No, I believe you are right. The news stories linked above are 3 (or even 5) years old.

This one shortly followed the first story linked above: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2254622.stm

More recently:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4654014.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4735662.stm

Other search engines like Yahoo, also operate in China: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6191171.stm
 
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  • #12
There was recently an investigative report that showed Internet bars in China. [I know I posted this somewhere] If certain banned words are typed, such as the name of a banned dissident group, a red light and siren goes off, and you get arrested.
 
  • #14
Gokul43201 said:
No, I believe you are right. The news stories linked above are 3 (or even 5) years old.

Ahhh, heh. That would explain it. :smile:

Thanks a lot for noticing that. I could have sworn that they had access to google.
 
  • #15
dontdisturbmycircles said:
Ahhh, heh. That would explain it. :smile:

Thanks a lot for noticing that. I could have sworn that they had access to google.
They have Google, Yahoo and MSN, but the Chinese Government tells them what they are allowed to let Chinese people access. If you want to provide service in China, you have to do as the Chinese Government says.
 
  • #16
MeJennifer said:
Last month I stayed one month in China and I had no problems accessing PF.

I believe that depends where you are in China. Being in Hong Kong can help a lot if that's where you went.
 
  • #17
JasonRox said:
I believe that depends where you are in China. Being in Hong Kong can help a lot if that's where you went.
Nope, mainland China, and in different places.
 
  • #18
I am inclined to say that the sites which are claimed to be ‘blocked’ are not 100% accurate.

When I was in China (the heart of mainland Communist China with giant pictures of Chairman Mao) I was able to browse around on the internet without finding any sites which were outright blocked.
From the connection point I was using in China, I know that yahoo.com is available (which is claimed to be blocked by the above link). I do not specifically remember visiting physicsforums.com while I was over there, if I did I would have defiantly remembered it being blocked. I was able to make a (what the Chinese might consider) controversial forum post from my Chinese internet connection using certain key words like “democracy”, “freedom”, and “protest”, but my door was not kicked in by commi storm troopers.
Right by the Ethernet cord which allowed the internet connection there was a sign which read something to the effect of “please respect the wishes of the People’s Republic of China was viewing the internet”.

But all of this was done from a hotel’s internet connection….not from a Chinese citizen’s private connection or local internet cafe. I think there is a difference in the way they monitor / censor the internet; they obviously must be using a different standard for American tourists than they do for their own citizens.
 
  • #19
I viewed PF at computers of Chinese citizens at their homes.
No problems whatsoever.
 
  • #20
There have been a number of high quality investigative reports about China as a global power and the forces for democracy operating within. I came away with two distinct concepts: First, the old guard in China is mostly gone, and those in power realize that China must change. But there is also fear of too much change too quickly, so the flow of information is being throttled with full knowledge that eventually this cannot be controlled.

[late edit: I should have said that the flow of information and other new freedoms are being throttled]

The other more disturbing point was that there are far too many young men as compared to young women in China, and when this happens in a society, we can expect an aggressive and possibly hostile/militaristic result. Of course, globalization does not apply to goods and services only; ie. Chinese men can marry women who are not Chinese.
 
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  • #22
I'm glad P.R.C blocked PF.It's bad for Chinese users but at least P.R.C found the freedom of expression allowed on this site(but with cretin restrictions but still allows for unnecessary flame wars) is a threat to there authoritarian regime's power that they have to block it.
 

1. What is PF Blocked in China?

PF Blocked in China refers to the censorship of the media platform "Patreon" in China. This means that the website is inaccessible to users within China's borders, and content from the platform is also blocked from being shared or viewed.

2. Why is PF Blocked in China?

The Chinese government has a strict censorship policy, and websites and content that are deemed politically sensitive or against their ideologies are often blocked. Patreon has been blocked in China due to its hosting of content that promotes free speech and criticism of the government.

3. What are the methods used to block PF in China?

The Chinese government uses a variety of methods to block websites and content, including IP blocking, DNS filtering, and URL filtering. They may also employ keyword filtering to prevent access to specific content on a website.

4. Can people in China still access PF through a VPN?

While using a virtual private network (VPN) can sometimes bypass censorship in China, the government has been known to block VPNs and make it difficult for people to use them. Additionally, VPNs are often illegal in China and using one can result in severe consequences.

5. Is PF the only platform blocked in China?

No, there are many other websites and platforms that are blocked in China, including major social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The government regularly monitors and censors the internet to control the flow of information and ideas within the country.

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