Internet Porn Sites Now Accessible in China

Word leaked out slowly, spread by Web-savvy folks on Twitter: Internet porn that once was blocked by Chinese government censors was now openly available.

Chinese are long accustomed to the authorities' Internet blockades. And I doubt this would change any time soon. Yet porn seems to be more accessible now. But still unanswered are questions about whether it's an official change in policy, a technical glitch or some sort of test by the usually disapproving Chinese Internet police. Websites about human rights and dissidents are also routinely banne and that I think would not change at all.

"Maybe they are thinking that if Internet users have some porn to look at, then they won't pay so much attention to political matters," said Beijing-based Internet analyst Zhao Jing, who goes by the English name Michael Anti. The government has not said why the porn sites were unblocked.

Few Chinese will admit to surfing for porn because it is illegal. Many sites are still inaccessible, and of those, sites that somehow evade control are usually blocked within hours. But the demand is there. Chinese society's conservative attitudes about sex are rapidly changing, especially among the young, who make up the majority of Internet users. Many Chinese have learned to get around "the Great Firewall," or GFW, as the system is known. Sites that suddenly became available around late May include the English-language YouPorn and PornHub, along with numerous Chinese sites offering downloads."The Great Firewall is not that serious toward blocking porn sites. It never was," he said. The true targets, he said, include political information, current affairs, negative reports about leaders, and anything that may trigger a protest.

"That kind of information is where the censorship focus is really," Xiao said. "Porn, they're just halfheartedly doing it."

Source: Yahoo News