CHINESE
Those living in China just got a bit less free this week. China is cracking down on foreign TV shows in what is being called an “anti-piracy crackdown.” A number of sites where subtitled foreign shows were heavily downloaded were shut down over the weekend.
The reason for the shutdown remains open to interpretation. Many don’t think it was a piracy crackdown as much as a censorship crackdown. In the past few months, China has launched a variety of censorship guidelines aimed at stopping foreign shows from reaching their citizens.
China now requires many of these shows go through them for government approval before they can be watched.
With more and more Chinese traveling abroad, as well as the availability of the citizens to break through the firewall, it makes some of these attempts by the Chinese Communist Party laughable. Do they really think they can stop their citizens from learning about human rights? Or even what hilarious thing Sheldon did in the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory? Here’s an open invite for all of China to feel free to come watch any TV show they want in my living room, just not sure you’ll all fit at the same time.