Hotmail blocked

[roddy]

We're not blocked, never have been. We've sometimes had pages filtered due to their content - see here for the difference between a filter and a block - but generally you just remove or edit the content and you're back up and running. We may well be at some point, but there's no point worrying about the random and arbitrary. Certain measures - hiding the news discussion forum from guests, for example - might look like they're about avoiding a block, but it's as much about discouraging repetitive, more-heat-than-light discussions on 'controversial' issues and ensuring there's space for everything else. I see it as editorial rather than political.

There are overseas-hosted Chinese language sites which are blocked - many belonging to a certain religious organization unpopular with the Chinese leadership, for example. Another called Boxun you should be able to find via google easily enough (I'm not going to paste the url in, as that is the kind of thing that triggers filters).

It's often easy to look for patterns in blocking to try and figure out what is happening and why (ah, so they blocked that because . . ., but unblocked this because . . .) when in reality it's a bit of a big black decision-making box, and if we ever get to read the archives, I suspect we'll find it was all a bit random, or that it was based on information we didn't have - how much does the government know about what overseas groups are planning? More than us, I'll warrant. However I don't think anyone's in much doubt that this time round it's about preventing any attempts to bring this anniversary (your friend has the date wrong, by the way) to public attention.

[imron]

on June 6.

June 4.

[BrandeX]

Someone told me this happens every year on the T square anniversary. It is the first time I have noticed though.

[liuzhou]

Hotmail is unblocked this morning, here in Guangxi.

[chrix]

Bing allows users to directly view porn videos (German language link), thus enabling them to circumvent filtering software in place in many companies.

Perhaps that was the reason it was blocked? Or is pornography not blocked in China?

[liuzhou]

Or is pornography not blocked in China?

Some is. Most isn't.

(or so I've been told! )

[chrix]

Well it looks like the jury is still out on the Bing porno issue. I haven't tried it myself but some of the comments to the article I linked seem to suggest that this is controversial, some claiming that Bing only shows 5 second previews in thumbnail format.

[gato]

Well it looks like the jury is still out on the Bing porno issue. I haven't tried it myself but some of the comments to the article I linked seem to suggest that this is controversial, some claiming that Bing only shows 5 second previews in thumbnail format.

You should try it out. Pretty neat feature.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tiananmen&go=&form=QBVR

[Don_Horhe]

Hotmail is unblocked this morning, here in Guangxi.

Unblocked here in Wuhan, as well. I'm assuming they realized they went a bit too far.

[liuzhou]

You should try it out. Pretty neat feature.

Your link seems to go to a no search results found page.

[roddy]

Bing does pull information off webpages and place it on the search results page, so to an extent it does act like a proxy, and that could well be why it's not welcome. See also Google's cache.

China does actively block pornography and gambling sites. Given what corrupt officials can do when they get to Macau, it's probably a good idea to keep them away from online poker . . .

[chrix]

Your link seems to go to a no search results found page.

It does work fine here, and it's not pornography, but videos of a different kind that wouldn't be welcome either. OK, so I guess what roddy said about the proxy function makes sense. Well it was an inauspicious name for the Chinese market anyways

[roddy]

I think 饼 is a great name.

MSN could turn off that feature for Chinese IPs if they wanted, or fall back to the old MSN search, whatever that was.

[chrix]

Wikipedia sez the official Chinese language designation is supposed to be 必应 but even said Wikipedia article uses "Bing"

[imron]

But is there a need to confirm with Wikipedia when the Chinese site itself clearly states it is 必应.

[chrix]

well short of doing a in-depth analysis of communicative behaviour of Chinese netizens it is a strong indicator to me that people might not warm to the Chinese name. Like the fiasco about the Chinese name of google, though I haven't followed up on it after it broke the news...

People's communicative behaviour often doesn't follow the officially mandated norms..

[imron]

Huh? How is the Wikipedia article supposed to do this. The official site itself clearly says both 必应 and Bing, so what difference does it make if Wikipedia does it also. All it means is that Microsoft hasn't made it clear with their branding which is the preferred form.

In any event it's still a stupid name, I don't see too many Chinese people warming to a name that sounds like disease. Favorite Bing acronym? Bing = But It's Not Google.

[chrix]

well usually at Wikipedia they try to follow the most accepted usage. Though of course it's too early since the service just started... Also I meant it not as solid evidence anyways more tongue-in-cheek

anyway agree on the name being stupid though. For that matter I don't think it sounds too pleasant to a Westerners' ear either (apologies to Bing Crosby fans )

[simplyolaf]

hotmail is not blocked for me. I wish it was the same for youtube

[WangYuHong]

I've heard lots of people make fun of the Chinese name for Bing.

大饼 is probably my favorite for it.

The official name is 必应, which comes from the phrase 有求必应

My favorite acronym for it in English is: Bing Is Not Google

The recursive nature of it just makes it that much better.

In China, is it still accessed at bing.com? I heard it was suppose to be biying.com (or biying.cn, or biying.com.cn... I can never remember how they do things)