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ITunes Unavailable in China
27-Aug-2008
Written by: Phillecia Cochran
ITunes’ difficulty in China is suspected to be the result of a Tibet-themed album.
Apple Inc.’s iTunes music store was unavailable to customers in China this week. One activist group said Beijing was attempting to block access to a recently released Tibet-themed album.
ITunes users had been complaining that they were unable to access and download music since Monday. This was the day following the Art of Peace Foundation’s announcement of the release of Songs for Tibet. The album featured music from Sting, Dave Matthews, Imogen Heap, and many others, as well as a 15-minute discussion by the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.
The executive director of the activist group, Michael Wohl, said the iTunes interruption was a direct result of the album’s release, though he had no proof. Wohl stated, “We issued a release saying that over 40 (Olympic) athletes downloaded the album in an act of solidarity, and that’s what triggered it. Then everything got blocked.”
Part of the speculation comes from the fact that Beijing encourages Internet use in terms of education and business, but is known to block access to sites run by human rights and Tibet activists.
Source: Variety
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