Technology trumps censorship!

I'm amused to see that an unforeseen technology is able to bypass Chinese censorship of the Internet. The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

Amazon's Kindle 3G e-reader is being snapped up on China's grey market as it has an extra special advantage for customers - it automatically leaps the so-called "Great Firewall" of state web censorship.

Sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which are blocked by the Beijing authorities, can be accessed without interference by the Kindle's internet browsing function, the South China Morning Post has reported.

Amazon says it is not able to ship the Kindle to mainland China or offer content in the country, which has the world's largest internet community at more than 420 million web users, the Post reported.

But a seller in Beijing told the paper he slipped them into China a few at a time after having them delivered to an address outside the mainland. He has sold 300 in the past month.

AFP found dozens of Kindles available on web auction site Taobao, China's answer to eBay, with prices ranging from a special offer of 700 yuan ($105) to 5,000 yuan ($755).

Several Chinese bloggers are recommending the device, according to the paper, largely due to the fact it can "scale the wall automatically".

"I still can't believe it. I casually tried getting to Twitter, and what a surprise, I got there," the paper quoted a mainland blogger as saying.

"And then I quickly tried Facebook, and it perfectly presented itself. Am I dreaming? No, I pinched myself and it hurt."

The 3G Kindle uses global system mobile (GSM) communication technology, which gives Wi-Fi coverage in more than 100 countries, including China. The Wi-Fi-only Kindle would rely on a local internet connection.

There's more at the link.

I wonder how long the Chinese authorities will take to find a way to censor the Kindle, too - or will they simply ban its sale and/or possession altogether?

Peter