Blogger Kaiser Kuo at Ogilvy China Digital Watch writes:
" … For me, at least, the list includes a number of controversial Chinese-language sites ordinarily off limits: Apple Daily, Boxun, Radio Free Asia's simplified Chinese site even. Politically sensitive English sites like China Digital Times have been unblocked, and FeedBurner is once again working in China …
" … a friend hypothesizes that the ISPs may be selectively allowing unfettered access in expat-heavy compounds like the one he lives in and the one I do …"
He says unfettered access won't last.
" ... And let's not be too hasty in heaping praise on the powers that be; this is something they promised the IOC they'd do, and by no means does it mean that the far, far more important (and effective) form of information control will be let go …"
Journalists en-masse
There's a bit more about the blocking and unblocking of websites at the OpenNet Initiative, where they have been running tests:
" … The Chinese government has guaranteed press freedom and convenient and possibly unfettered Internet access—but only for the approximately 21,000 journalists gathering en masse to cover the Games.
" At the Main Press Center, various Venue Media Centers, and Olympics venues, the Internet may very well be fast and free , but whether Chinese citizens and critical voices will also be accorded the same openings has yet to be determined … "
Added to blacklist
Meanwhile, while all this is going on, the Internet Society of China (ISC) – which comes under the governance of China's Ministry of Information Industry – has put out a blacklist of six Internet portals and forums that had been "spreading low and vulgar content".
The ISC has set up a reporting center to receive netizens' reports on illegal and unhealthy internet information, says blogger Eric at Danwei.
" … websites that were criticized include the entertainment channel of 21.cn, Sichuan online, the picture forum of Shenzhen Hotline, the community channel of Qingdao News, and the forum on Changjiang net …"
What are China's Internet censors planning? Keep watching.
UPDATE That unfettered access doesn't appear to have lasted long. By the end of the day Kaiser Kuo was reporting that the list of unblocked sites were again blocked.
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