The Olympics press official who has had to explain to the world why China reneged on its promise to open the Internet for the games is feeling like a "fall guy" for the International Olympic Committee. Higher ups, he says, probably knew of Beijing's plans before journos arrived in country.
Ethan Zuckerman points to the staggeringly high prices that are being charged to the press for Internet hookup (we're talking $1130 for a 512 pipe) and does a round-up of all the nose-thumbing stuff going around, i.e. ways to circumvent China's restrictions during the summer games.
And Reporters without Borders has set up a one-stop shop for all your news on Beijing's Internet restrictions, hotel wiretapping, journalist imprisoning, and more.
At the Computers, Freedom, & Privacy Conference at Yale tonight, a number of my dinner companions insisted that Raul Castro had lifted the restriction on ordinary Cubans accessing the Internet. I said that was not the case, but backed down out of sheer wussiness. I need to work on that. The new Cuban leader has indeed allowed Cubans to buy personal computers, but tis a far, far different thing than allowing unfettered access to the World Wide Web.
