In the wake of deadly ethnic riots in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, the Chinese government has reportedly cracked down on internet and cellphone access in the region, blocking social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, slowing cell phone service and activating keyword filters. Internet search results have been restricted to reports that echo the official line.
While the Chinese administration is responding to this crisis with more openness and transparency than it has displayed in the past, by for example allowing foreign media access to the region in question, the International Press Institute is still concerned about the government’s use of internet censorship.