I'd expect in either case it wasn't a mistake and probably not a test - they already know they can do it. I'm guessing it was at least in-part to flush some usage and networks of people out. -Ali
On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 12:22 PM, Martin Johnson <[email protected]>wrote: > Google unblocked again - was it a mistake or a test? > > https://en.greatfire.org/blog/2012/nov/google-unblocked-again-was-it-mistake-or-test > > Adam - you can test Google Talk and any URL at https://en.greatfire.org > > On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 2:29 PM, Adam Fisk <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Thanks Martin. Do you know if Google Talk is still accessible ( >> talk.google.com)? >> >> -Adam >> >> >> On Friday, November 9, 2012, Martin Johnson wrote: >> >>> Today, Nov 9, 2012, http://www.google.com was blocked in China. It's >>> the first time since we started tracking online censorship in China in >>> February last year that this has happened. Here's what we know: >>> >>> - The subdomains www.google.com, mail.google.com, >>> google-analytics.com, docs.google.com, drive.google.com, >>> maps.google.com, play.google.com and perhaps many more are all >>> currently DNS poisoned in China. Instead of the real IP addresses, any >>> lookups from China to any of these domains result in the following IP: >>> 59.24.3.173. That IP address is located in Korea and doesn't serve any >>> website at all. >>> - This means that none of these websites, including Google Search, >>> currently work in China, unless you have a VPN or other cirumvention >>> tool. >>> - Using a DNS server outside of China doesn't help. A lookup of >>> www.google.com to 8.8.8.8 is also distorted, by the Great Firewall. >>> - So far you can still access other country versions of Google such >>> as www.google.co.uk. >>> >>> You can see an overview of different Google sites here: >>> https://en.greatfire.org/search/google-sites. You can choose any of >>> them and test them in real time to stay updated. >>> >>> Affecting more users than ever >>> >>> Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were all blocked before they attracted >>> more than a small number of users in China. We've argued before that the >>> authorities didn't dare to fully block GMail since it has too many users >>> already. Fully blocking Google goes much further. Google Search is only the >>> second search engine in China (after Baidu) but with an online population >>> of more than 500 million that still leaves it with many millions of daily >>> users. According to Alexa, it's the Top 5 most used website in China. Never >>> before have so many people been affected by a decision to block a website. >>> If Google stays blocked, many more people in China will become aware of the >>> extent of censorship. How will they react? Will there be protests? Check >>> out reactions by Weibo users on FreeWeibo. >>> >>> Temporary or permanent? >>> >>> The Communist Party of China is currently holding its 18th Party >>> Congress in which new leaders of the party and the country are formally >>> chosen. The fact that Google is blocked now is surely no coincidence. The >>> big question is whether it will be unblocked again once the congress is >>> over. We will closely monitor developments. >>> >>> By the way.. Analytics >>> >>> The fact that http://www.google-analytics.com is blocked doesn't just >>> mean that you can't access the web interface in China. It means that visits >>> by Chinese users won't be tracked by Google anymore. Foreign websites using >>> Google Analytics to track their visitors will currently track 0 users >>> coming from China, whether or not their website itself is blocked. >>> >>> What to do? >>> >>> Many VPNs and other circumvention tools have been working poorly or not >>> at all in the last few days. The free iPhone app OpenDoor is still working, >>> though it has also suffered glitches recently. Another method of accessing >>> Google Search is to use one of their other country versions such as >>> www.google.co.uk or www.google.ca. These may also be blocked of course. >>> >>> You can also access Google directly using one of their IP addresses. >>> These don't appear to be blocked (yet). Here are some: >>> >>> http://74.125.228.64 >>> http://74.125.228.65 >>> http://74.125.228.66 >>> http://74.125.228.67 >>> http://74.125.228.68 >>> http://74.125.228.69 >>> http://74.125.228.70 >>> http://74.125.228.71 >>> http://74.125.228.72 >>> http://74.125.228.73 >>> http://74.125.228.78 >>> >>> From: https://en.greatfire.org/blog/2012/nov/googlecom-blocked-china >>> >>> -- >>> Best >>> Martin Johnson >>> --- >>> https://FreeWeibo.com - Uncensored, Anonymous Sina Weibo Search. >>> https://GreatFire.org - Monitoring Online Censorship In China. >>> https://Unblock.cn.com - We Can Unblock Your Website In China. >>> >>> >> -- >> Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: >> https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech >> > > > > -- > Best > Martin Johnson > --- > https://FreeWeibo.com - Uncensored, Anonymous Sina Weibo Search. > https://GreatFire.org - Monitoring Online Censorship In China. > https://Unblock.cn.com - We Can Unblock Your Website In China. > > > -- > Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech >
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