10 platforms blocked by the 'Great Firewall of China'

BBC World News joined a long list of media outlets and platforms that have been banned for reportage which Beijing believes is portraying the country in bad light. Let's take a look at other platforms that are in the crosshairs of the 'Dragon'

Team Newsable

China, First Published Feb 13, 2021, 3:27 PM IST | Last Updated Feb 13, 2021, 3:26 PM IST

Banned in China: Twitter

Reason: Analysts say Beijing was particularly unnerved by the power of the micro-blogging site, especially with the role it played in the Arab Spring. While blacking out the microblogging service, Beijing propped up its own Twitter alternative, Weibo.

Banned in China: Google

Reason: The Great Chinese Firewall prevents American Internet giants like Facebook and Google from establishing a foothold in the country. Google's China-based search engine was shut down in 2010 after disputes over search query censorship.

Banned in China: YouTube

Reason: YouTube was at the receiving end of Beijing's censorship stick, with videos on the platform being regularly called out by the administration. in 2009, Beijing blocked the video-sharing network after denouncing footage that allegedly showed security forces beating Tibetans in Lhasa in 2008.

Banned in China: Facebook

Reason: Facebook was banned in 2009 following the Urumqi riots, which saw at least 1,000 Uyghurs mainly targeted Han section of population. After 200 lives were lost over 5 days of riots, the Chinese government claimed that independence activists used the social media platform as a communication tool.

Banned in China: Reddit

Reason: Known for its open forums for discussions, Reddit had been under the scrutiny of Chinese authorities. First, China's massive firewell tried blocking reddit posts. When that didn't work, in 2018, China blocked access to Reddit.

Banned in China: Tumblr

Reason: Tumblr was blocked in China in May 2016, a year after it rolled out a Chinese version. Beijing authorities cited 'too much porn' as the reason behind the ban.

Banned in China: Instagram

Reason: Instagram was banned in September 2014 during the height of the Hong Kong protests. It's a different story that despite the ban, Instagram still has approximately 4 million monthly active users from the mainland. Most of the users rely on VPNs to access Instagram.

Banned in China: Wikipedia

Reason: Beijing never really gave a clear reason when it blocked Wikipedia access in the People’s Republic of China. the Chinese administration instead endorses the Chinese-language Internet encyclopaedia Baidu Baike.

Banned in China: Reuters

Reason: Reuters has been in the firing line of the Chinese censorship machinery over its reportage of the anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong and the pro-democracy movement there. Beijing claimed that Reuters reports painted the country in bad light.

Banned in China: WION

Reason: The Indian news channel had miffed Beijing over its extensive reportage on China's Coronavirus cover-up. China banned the channel website in the Chinese mainland when India blocked 59 Chinese apps following the violent faceoff between the Indian Army and Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

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