December 14, 2005 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Google's (google.com) free weblog service Blogger (blogger.com) appears to have been blocked by Chinese government censors, according to a report by InfoWorld Netherlands. The news comes just two months after the service first became available in the country.
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InfoWorld says Blogger has not been accessible from Beijing without the use of a proxy server, which makes it likely that the service has again been blocked. Connecting to the Internet by way of a proxy server is one way for users in China to bypass government censors.
Google confirmed in the report that users in China have been unable to access the service.
InfoWorld says the Chinese government has also blocked Six Apart's (sixapart.com) blog service Typepad.
The Chinese government is known for its hard line on political dissent, which has extended to the Internet. Blogs and private Web sites are of particular concern to the Chinese government because they can be fertile ground for dissent. According to Chinese blog hosting provider cnblog.org, China has approximately 700,000 Weblogs.
Earlier this year, China implemented legislation requiring all private Web site and blog owners to register with the government.
