Technology

Source :China Times30 April 2012

Wang reported [Reporter Lu Sumei / roundup]

Sina weibo, China’s domestic twitter which has 300 million users, may under the threat of shutting down. According to Sina’s 2011 Annual report submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on 28 April, "the authorities required our users to use real name for authentication.. But for varies reasons we are unable to complete the task. We may face severe punishment by the Chinese government, including partial suspension of the microblogging’s function or even shutting it down." Sina reminded investors that if it was punished by the Chinese government, it might affect the company's share price.

Caption: Hong Kong Bloggers' Facebook accounts were blocked after the forth Chief Executive was elected.

Leung Chun-ying (CY), the forth Chief Executive of Hong Kong was elected by 1200 election committees on March 25, 2012. He is alleged as underground communist party member and violated freedom of speech in the past. A famous Hong Kong blogger Kay Lam’s Facebook account was suspended after posting a picture with caption “Finally the lights are all gone, The Death of Hong Kong 1841-2012”, just three hours after CY was elected as Chief Executive.

Written by: Mainland Blogger Jason Ng
Translated by: Michelle Fong

Editor notes: This article was first published in Simplified Chinese by a Mainland Blogger about Ten things impressed him the most about Weibo.com (新浪微博，Sina mircoblog , akin hybrid of Twitter and Facebook and being the most popular site in China.) which is the most popular microblog in China.

Editor note: This article about the use of microblogs by Chinese police is originally published in Xinhuanet

Recent years, the People of the Republic of China police has created MicroBlog and has caused great concern in the Internet.

Is it a “show” or “internet politics”? How do law enforcers adapt the liberal and free internet atmosphere? How does MicroBlog reflect the governance mentality? Reporters visited the police MicroBlog to take a look.

(Editor: Citizens Radio has been sued by Hong Kong government as an “illegal-licensed ” radio station. The writer of this article has been a volunteer at the illegal citizen radio and helped broadcasting the June 4 candle night vigil for the past 5 years. This year, the writer found that Hong Kong not only has “One Country Two System”, but also has “One Frequency Three Channels”. The Citizens Radio was intervened by some “third-party forces” during vigil. Writer worried this might be instructed by the Chinese government as one of the channel is a mainland one. The article recorded what happened in that evening.)

“As before, I was a helper of Citizens Radio during June 4 Anniversary. Citizens Radio aims at the opening of airwaves and has insisted for 5 years. This year, many web-radios formed a web-radio union and broadcasted the event with us lively.

Editor note: below is a translation of Beijing News' interview with Hu Yong, a Beijing University Professor, on the potential of micro-blogging in political engagement in China.

The potential of Microblogging to become a milestone

If the BBS was the first milestone, then microblogging certainly has the potential to become the second. The meaning behind the microblog becoming a milestone, is in the way it spreads information.

BJ News: You have long been concerned about the development of the Internet; how do you view this emerging microblogging communication tool?

We are pleased to announce the launching of Info-Rhizome: Report on Independent Media in Chinese-speaking world (2008/09) and the re-launching of interlocals.net.

Info-Rhizome: Report on Independent Media in Chinese-speaking world (2008/09)

The book published in two languages English and traditional Chinese and is free to download for individual use.

To sign the petition online, go to: http://campaign.tw-npo.org/campaign/sign.php?id=2009042210484600

If you are holding an iPhone or an HTC in your hand, you might have contributed to the ordeals of nearly 8,000 factory workers in China and Taiwan, to speak of the least.

One of Apple’s major suppliers, WINTEK, is recently facing a fight back from angry workers, among who are the 700-strong on Taiwan’s manufacture lines that have been laid off early this year, who were rather surprised when they found out WINTEK began to recruit new workers immediately, while these veterans are left jobless. Meanwhile, “Masstop” (東莞萬士達公司) in Donguan, a subsidiary of WINTEK, saw more than 7,000 broke in outrage when the workers went on strike last Friday (17 April 2009), in protest of unlawful cuts on overtime wages and basic benefits.