Skype Part of the Great Firewall of China?

Has Skype now joined the companies that de faco have become part of the Chinese censorship system? The question is certainly a serious one.

In the latest issue of Business Week one finds a detailed story of the Great Firewall of China. It's nothing revolutionary new, but a good summary of the sorry state of affairs.

"Beijing has a vast infrastructure of technology to keep an eye on any potential online dissent. It also applies lots of human eyeballs to monitoring. The agencies that watch over the Net employ more than 30,000 people to prowl Web sites, blogs, and chat rooms on the lookout for offensive content as well as scammers."

But worth noting is that the story says that Skype has now entered an agreement that effectively makes Skype part of the censorship authorities of China.

If that's the case, I'll certainly end my Skype account.

The Great Firewall of China