March 8, 2008
Tudou Ordered to Shut Down?
NewTeeVee reports that China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has ordered leading Chinese video-sharing site Tudou.com to shut down, according to reports from Netease.
The shutdown is reportedly over government concern that Tudou is hosting pornographic and other banned content.
For those who watch US TV series online, Tudou is one of the most prolific sources. It would be devastating for Europeans and Asians if it was shut down. This morning it's still working. According to some sources, the shutdown story is a vicious rumor started by a competitor website.
According to DANWEI's correspondent this is just a shake down for penalty fees, and a shot across the bows of all the video sites to warn them that big brother SARFT is watching.
The accusations of pornographic content are absurd: Tudou is one of the least salacious video hosts out there. Lots of the smaller ones seem to be trying to compete by pushing the boundaries of what's permitted, but Tudou and the other big ones don't have the same sexy, sexy movies. Copyright infringement's a different story, but there again, Tudou is no worse than any of the others.
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