Social media and the Qinghai earthquake

One thing has become clear to me after monitoring microblogging services like Twitter in China this morning for news of the Qinghai earthquake: it’s a very long way to Yushu, even from Xining, the regional capital of Qinghai (800 kilometers or 500 miles, to be precise).

Another is that it’s hard to know who anyone is – or who is hiring them to ‘comment’ or ‘report’ – unless you have already made reciprocated contact with them or know them personally.

“Yu Miao”, a “volunteer” tweeting from Xi’an airport on various microblogging platforms,  tells us:

+8613901894753: #qhdz 半夜的西宁机場异常忙碌 看到不斷有山東.重慶等省消防和救援隊集結.一幅緊張的戰備狀態.此去玉树820公里，预计车程12小时。－ 于淼在西宁至玉树途中报道

Xining airport is thronging with people in the middle of the night. I saw a steady stream of rescue workers and firefighters from Shandong, Chongqing and other provinces grouping together, with the anxious air of going into battle. It is still 820 kilometres (500 miles) to Yushu from here. I am guessing it will take them 12 hours.

China To Restore Xinjiang Access

As Chinese Internet users are complaining about increased curbs, Chinese authorities announced they would be restoring online access and lift a ban on text messages and international calls in Xinjiang.

The move comes  months after deadly ethnic unrest prompted a communications shutdown.

AFP quoted the official Xinhua news agency, which cited the regional government saying it had restored access to part of the wire’s Web site as well as parts of the Web site of the state-run People’s Daily newspaper.

“And according to relevant circumstances, (the government) will gradually restore access to other Web sites and Internet services, and open up mobile text messages and international long-distance phone services,” the report said.

China Internet Crackdown Could Fuel DVD Piracy

Speculation that China is about to shut down all audio and video Web sharing sites has Internet users there scrambling to download as much and as can as quickly as they can.

Chinese journalist George Sun says many fear if the authorities proceed with such a ban then netizens say it will not stop information sharing but just lead to the resurgence of a new old method, namely pirate DVD’s and CD’s.

The largest BitTorrent Web sites in China like BTCHINA, VeryCD and the Garden of Eden have been closed down or ordered to delete all links to downloaded films or TV series in the past week.

The State Administration of Radio Film and Television said BTCHINA did not have a license to distribute audio and video content. “SARFT has deleted our site’s registration and shut down our site,” a notice on the BTCHINA site said.

UUbird.com, a similar Web site, said in a notice it would delete all links for downloading TV series and films “to firmly support and comply with the state’s laws and regulations.”

The authorities often cite the sharing of pornography or illicit material for internet crackdowns and censorship but many commentators believe it is a cover for keeping a lid on dissent.

China puts up Berlin (fire) Wall

Twenty years after the Berlin wall fell, signaling the end of communism in East Germany, China has erected an electronic wall to stop its citizens from joining the festivities electronically.

The organizers of the Berlin Wall Twitter site intended for it to be used by people wishing to post their memories of the night the wall came down. But it quickly became an outlet for Chinese angry at internet censorship in their country.

Organizers said nearly half of the more than 3000 comments posted were from China.

According to the China Digital Times, one user wrote: “Mr Hu Jintao, please tear down this Great Firewall.

It was an ironic twist on the 1987 speech given by US President Ronald Reagan who asked Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachew to “Tear Down This Wall.”

China has at least 338 million Internet users, more than any other country in the world, according to state media.