TakePart reports that Alive in Baghdad creator Brian Conley and friend Jeffrey Rae have been detained by Chinese officials along with a number of other activists including the actor Jeff Goldin. The Times reports that they have been in custody since 3AM on Monday.

Like others recently deported from China, Conley was documenting protests by Students for a Free Tibet. Conley texted his wife this morning “all fine” according to Andy Carvin, but unlike earlier detainees, Conley and other citizen journalists documenting these better organized protests, are not yet on a plane back to the U.S. Without the backing of a major multinational news organization they can use all the help they can get.

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72 hours ago Noneck was live streaming on Qik as 28 American and Canadian protesters in China demonstrated against China’s occupation of Tibet. Then they were all deported. Credit cards swiped by Chinese officials, they were booked on a return flight to Newark.

The video of above of obnoxious North American students protesting something occurring thousands of miles away from their literal and cultural home is somewhat entertaining, but it’s mostly irritating. The Chinese officials appear to have shown considerable restraint, at least considering their history of jailing real protesters who actually deserve respect for standing up for something while having something to lose.

The apparent arrogance of these “protestors” notwithstanding this is not be the first time live streaming will be used to capture an event which the Mainstream Media either has no access to or ignores. Independent producers broadcasting live online will continue to play a larger role in media as a whole.

Pew Internet and American Life Project yesterday put out their annual home broadband penetration report. 55% of American homes now have broadband connections as of April 2008, up from 47% in March 2007.

Above: Pew Internet Home Broadband 2008 Key Findings

While in the U.S. and Europe, broadband has evolved as an extension of MSOs, in developing nations the cable phase has been skipped entirely and wireless penetration continues to outpace broadband growth. Daily Wireless points to a study from Gartner predicting wireless penetration in India will grow from 20% now to 60% in 2012.

Which means that as the world flattens, here in the U.S. we can expect to view a lot more online video shot on mobile devices in foreign countries. And when distributing content for an international audience we should plan to deliver it in a format accessible to the millions who will use a phone as their primary source of media consumption.

While we, in the US, bask in the glory of all things online video (Ok, some, most, are not that glorious), Time Magazine’s website (and possibly the print edition, but thats so arcane) takes a look at how China is handling the growth of online video, and their version of YouTube - Tudou.com.

With an audience estimated at 78 million people, online video is big business in China: Western venture capitalists have poured $120 million into the industry since 2004, according to CCID Consulting, a leading Chinese IT firm. Tudou.com, China’s largest video sharing website, serves more than a billion minutes of video per day, some 30% more than YouTube. “People spent twice as long on Tudou than on YouTube ,” says CEO Gary Wang, who founded the company in Shanghai in 2005. “They really get in and get stuff they don’t typically see on TV.”