Saturday, July 28, 2012

Note on Olympics Web site raises censoring fears

The Olympic flag flows in London. But does the spirit?
The LOCOG claims loading time was the issue, but the decision to use a Chinese content delivery nertwork raises questions about censorship

Netizens recently noticed a cryptic line of information appearing at the bottom of the official Web site of the London Summer Olympics (www.london2012.com), sparking speculation about possible complicity by the Games’ organizers in Chinese Internet censorship during the event. 

At first glance, the last line of information on the site, which appeared in light gray characters, seemed mysterious enough: ICP filing number (京ICP備12028602號). The acronym stands for Internet content provider, a permit issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) allowing China-based Web sites to operate in China. 

My article, published today in the Taipei Times, continues here.

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