Internet Filtering in China in 2004 2005 

b. Free Web Hosting and Blogging Domains 

Our results suggest that China frequently responds to the possibility that certain domains may 

contain a mix of targeted and unrelated content by rendering the entire domain inaccessible.  Our in 

country testing data provides numerous examples of this approach, including the domains 

www.geocities.com, www.angelfire.com, members.tripod.com, and the blogspot.com domains.  Since 

these domains resulted from searches for keywords on subjects likely to be of concern to the Chinese 

state, these results may overstate the extent of domain wide filtering.  However, our testing of clearly non 

sensitive content in the www.geocities.com domain (including puppetry and juggling sites) supports our 

conclusion about domain level blocking.  Additionally, 3 of the inaccessible blogspot.com URLs were 

derived from our global list, and thus were unlikely to contain material to which the Chinese state is 

particularly sensitive.  ONI found independent reports that www.geocities.com and blogspot.com were 

previously reported as entirely inaccessible by Chinese users, strengthening our analysis here.

159

159

 See Paul Baranowski, Blogspot Now Blocked From China, Jan. 10, 2005, at http://www.peek a 

booty.org/pbhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=56; Benjamin Edelman, Blocked sites will return, but 

with limited access, South China Morning Press, Jan. 26, 2003, available at 

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/edelman/pubs/scmp 012603/. 

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