Apple's online music store, iTunes, has been blocked in China after more than 40 Olympic athletes downloaded a pro-Tibet album from the site.
The disappearance of iTunes behind the Great Firewall of China comes at a time when the Chinese Government had promised free and unfettered internet access for foreign journalists covering the Beijing Olympics. Blocks have been lifted on some sites, but many more remain inaccessible.
Consumers in China began inundating Apple help forums on Monday with complaints that they could not access iTunes. Earlier on the same day, the US-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) announced that 46 athletes from North America, Europe and even Beijing had used the site to download Songs for Tibet, which had been offered to them free of charge.
The album, produced by a band called The Art of Peace Foundation and promoted by ICT, featured 20 songs from high-profile artists including Sting, Moby, Damien Rice and Alanis Morissette. It was launched on iTunes on August 5, three days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
"We spread the word around the athletes before the games that we were offering it to them for free," Kate Saunders of ICT told The Times. "Certainly we did intend the downloads to be a subtle form of protest for the athletes, as well as an act of solidarity for the Tibetan people and the Dalai Lama."
Athletes were encouraged to play the album on their iPods, in what ICT called "a simple yet powerful symbol of personal freedom", during their time in Beijing.
Ms Saunders said that the response from the athletes had been very positive. One unidentified athlete sent a message thanking The Art of Peace Foundation for its "efforts, music and passion for peace".
China.org.cn, a Chinese government Information websited, reported that China's netizens were "incensed" over the album and were "rallying together to denounce Apple" and ban the singers and producers from the country. Some Chinese were intending to boycott all Apple products, it said.
http://technology.timesonline....web/article4579783.ece
The disappearance of iTunes behind the Great Firewall of China comes at a time when the Chinese Government had promised free and unfettered internet access for foreign journalists covering the Beijing Olympics. Blocks have been lifted on some sites, but many more remain inaccessible.
Consumers in China began inundating Apple help forums on Monday with complaints that they could not access iTunes. Earlier on the same day, the US-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) announced that 46 athletes from North America, Europe and even Beijing had used the site to download Songs for Tibet, which had been offered to them free of charge.
The album, produced by a band called The Art of Peace Foundation and promoted by ICT, featured 20 songs from high-profile artists including Sting, Moby, Damien Rice and Alanis Morissette. It was launched on iTunes on August 5, three days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
"We spread the word around the athletes before the games that we were offering it to them for free," Kate Saunders of ICT told The Times. "Certainly we did intend the downloads to be a subtle form of protest for the athletes, as well as an act of solidarity for the Tibetan people and the Dalai Lama."
Athletes were encouraged to play the album on their iPods, in what ICT called "a simple yet powerful symbol of personal freedom", during their time in Beijing.
Ms Saunders said that the response from the athletes had been very positive. One unidentified athlete sent a message thanking The Art of Peace Foundation for its "efforts, music and passion for peace".
China.org.cn, a Chinese government Information websited, reported that China's netizens were "incensed" over the album and were "rallying together to denounce Apple" and ban the singers and producers from the country. Some Chinese were intending to boycott all Apple products, it said.
http://technology.timesonline....web/article4579783.ece
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