Beijing censorship marks countdown to 30th anniversary of Tiananmen

Every year, on the occasion of the anniversary, the Party steps up censorship. System updates in progress:  operations will be limited on the main video platforms. In most cases, interruptions will last until June 6 or 7.

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The main streaming and video sites in China have launched system updates that will limit their functions in a period that coincides with next June 4, the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. It is not clear if the access restrictions are linked to the highly sensitive anniversary, but they coincide with the efforts made by Beijing to block news or discussions of the bloody repression of students and pro-democracy workers. According to the estimates of independent bodies, on the night of the massacre, 300 to 2 thousand people died, crushed by tanks or shot dead while fleeing.

Web platforms have announced that, during updates, operations will be limited: it will be impossible to change profile pictures, register new accounts or post comments in real time. The popular Bilibili video sharing site, which has over 100 million active users, announced yesterday that its real-time comment feature will not be available until June 6. In the last two days, other live streaming sites like YY, Huya and Douyu have announced that they will carry out system maintenance until June 6 or 7.

Even web pages with content deemed sensitive by the authorities are updating their systems. An employee of Blued, a social network for homosexuals with over 27 million users, confirmed that an update is underway from May 16 to June 10. Foreign news sites, Google and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are among those blocked by the notorious Chinese "Great Firewall". In view of important political events or sensitive anniversaries, Beijing censors often intensify their activity. At the moment, Wikipedia is also inaccessible from mainland China.