The Big Chinese Firewall - causing lose of millions

Granted free access to internet informations is a relative notion when it comes about the chinese internet. An army of censors takes care permanently that no one reaches websites unapproved by the government. And the situation starts to be worst and worst . For those that have never been to China it may be hard to believe that there is political censorship on the internet. For example the access to online informations like Dalai Lama, the government corruption or anything else that can affect the state's reputation is restricted, blocked to say better, and the walls of this invisible wall are getting wider and wider from one year to another. Last year China's government took the decision to not allow the opening of internet cafe's, invoicing the reason that there are already too many, so too hard to control. For this year, the new thing is the blocking of access to video content on websites like Youtube, the decision being already approved by the National Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Ministry of Information. Starting from 31st January, the chinese internet users can only watch online video clips just on licensed websites, that are totally controlled by state companies. The Comunist Party of China hopes to beware population from pages that transmit opinions and points of view different from those that are officially accepted. At least 12 governmental agencies make sure that the new rules are followed by all the internet service providers and video content providers but also by internet cafe's owners. Beside these, there is also the Ministry of Public Security of China, whom employees monitor the online content and pursuit those that don't follow the rules, penalties for these going from fines to jail conviction. For companies that detain video content sharing websites, the news is very concerning, because many of them are threatened with extinction. Until now, online video content market from China , even is censored had several aces that sustained it's development. The first of them was, because of the censorship, the absence from the market of the largest online content provider from world , Youtube. Although the website can be still accessed by the public, most of it is censored, fact that led to a more relaxed competition for chinese companies. The second advantage is the very own situation of the internet market - over 182 million users - a very attractive target for foreign investors, especially the american ones, whom strategy was to take advantage of the lack of competition to take gain of a bigger market cote. They gambled on an early market entrance, in attempt to re-create the success made by companies like Baidu or Alibaba. But the official estimations still look good. According to a study made by Data Center of China Internet (DCCI), video sharing websites will make a profit of 22 million dollars, in raise with almost 77% than last year. And for the next year, the market will raise to 40 millions. Anyway, the new restrictions may lower the interest of potential investors, that would mean that great success stories like Youku, the equivalent of Youtube in China, which attracted investments of 25 million dollars, will be rare. The big companies will probably ally with state companies, or will find a method to get away of the rules. It remains to be seen.