China: Hands Off Online Video (Unless…)
China’s balancing act between free market and Communist political control continues as the country keeps up its rhetoric and oversight of online video while publicly stating that the government will not interfere with existing operations.
Of course, governmental oversight means that should meaningful and potentially harmful political statements be made which are perceived as a threat to Chinese governmental organizations or officials, it is subject to censorship.
And censorship has more than one form. China’s broad statement prohibiting content “which damages China’s unity and sovereignty; harms ethnic solidarity; promotes superstition; portrays violence, pornography, gambling, or terrorism; violates privacy; damages China’s culture or traditions” will force video sharing sites to more stringently monitor and control the content they distribute for fear of government intervention.
Tags: China Video Regulation