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Noose tightened on bloggers in China

Reporters Without Borders reports:

"Reporters Without Borders is worried about the future of blogging in China after the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) yesterday closed down 25 websites that allowed video-sharing. The SARFT said they were “obscene”, “violent” or threatened “national security or national interest.”

Thirty-two other websites including Tudou.com, one of China’s most popular video-sharing sites, were given warnings. This is the first time the authorities have applied a law concerning the regulation of audio and video files that was adopted on 31 January.

“Videos filmed by Chinese citizens are not welcome,” Reporters Without Borders said. “You now need a government licence to put videos online. Furthermore, this measure cannot be circumvented by using proxies. It has come just when it was needed by a government that is trying to control the dissemination of video footage of the unrest in Tibet. This law is a threat to news and information.”

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