"Prohibited Language, Please Remove"
In a move that further confirms Communism is still alive and well, and that business will always bow to the almighty buck, Microsoft Corp.’s MSN China Internet venture is censoring words such as “freedom,” “democracy” and “human rights” on its free online journals in accordance with local laws, Microsoft said yesterday. As well, words and phrases such as “
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If these words or phrases are used, an error message is returned saying “prohibited language, please remove.”
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MSN China was launched last month, and almost immediately the censorship was reported by bloggers. Keep in mind, too, the recent prevalence of blogs as a means of valid journalistic reporting, China's news sources without exception.
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MSN, according to a company rep, “abides by laws, regulations and norms of each country in which it operates.”
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MSN Spaces allows users to create their own blogs (such as the one you’re reading, only without the ability in China to write such things as “Freedom is one of many human rights in a democracy” — albeit an exaggerated and, well, silly statement, but one still allowed to be typed and offered to the public reader).
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Of late, the Chinese government has been tightening control over the Internet;�not only online journals but the entire Internet. As noted in Reuters’ coverage below, a media watchdog group said
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See Reuters' coverage below for more�censorship ammunition -- er, for more detailed information.�
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Microsoft under fire for censoring
By Reed StevensonTue Jun 14, 3:16 PM ET
Microsoft Corp.'s new MSN China Internet venture is censoring words such as "freedom," "democracy" and "human rights" on its free online journals, Microsoft said on Tuesday, putting itself in the middle of a major Web controversy.
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The world's largest software maker said that its "MSN Spaces" service operated out of
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"MSN abides by the laws, regulations and norms of each country in which it operates," said Brooke Richardson, MSN lead product manager.
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The move comes as the Chinese government attempts to tighten control over the Internet. Last week, a media watchdog group said
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Microsoft rivals such as Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), eBay Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and InterActiveCorp., which have made a string of acquisitions to expand their operations in China, have also been known to censor content in the country.
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Words and phrases banned in the subject line of entries for Microsoft's MSN Spaces on Tuesday also included "
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Not even former and current leaders' names such as "Mao Zedong" or "Hu Jintao" were allowed.
Most of the phrases, however, were allowed in the body of the entries.
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Other blog sites lashed out at Microsoft. Online tech forum Slashdot had user comments calling the censorship a "really really awful thing" and accusing the software giant of trying to appease
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Matt Rosoff, analyst at Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm in Kirkland, Washington, pointed out that any censorship by Microsoft's online service was relatively minor compared to the broader censorship by the Chinese government over all Internet activity.
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"If Microsoft wants to do business in
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Microsoft's censorship was first reported by bloggers and news outlets in Asia after MSN Spaces was launched in
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The company has long seen
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Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft launched MSN China last month by establishing a joint venture with government-operated Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd. (SAIL) to develop more communication, information and content tied to
Tags: microsoft china blog censorship
Related Tags: online journals, chinese government, language please, please remove, words phrases, china
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