Internet Users Slam Chinese Censorship

Frustration with government curbs on the Internet is growing among China's 140M web users. Wikipedia has been banned, and the censors recently shuttered photo-sharing web site Flickr, after a user uploaded a picture of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Tens of thousands of human monitors and an elaborate filter system keep watch over China's browsers.

Historically, privacy has not been an important value in China. But now, a thriving middle class is rebelling against  government efforts to build a "harmonious" online environment, Reuters reports. "The thirst for information in China is so strong," explains one human rights expert, "it is very difficult for the (Communist) Party to stay ahead of the curve." (More China stories.)