Bitcointalk blocked by the Great Firewall of China!

[LouReed]

http://cointelegraph.com/news/112603/the-strange-case-of-bitcointalks-chinese-ban

In a move no less curious than its previous attempts, China has blocked a popular Bitcoin website from being accessed on its domestic servers – but why?

China’s ‘Great Firewall’ has long been the subject variously of wonder and bewilderment, and now it is the turn of arguably the most active Bitcoin forum, Bitcointalk.org, to have the lights turned off.

According to a Reddit thread, requests submitted to the testing site greatfirewallofchina.org came back unsuccessful from all provinces’ IP addresses at present. The shift in accessibility came as a surprise to many, especially as it seems to be a one-off instance and not part of a wider concerted effort, as has been  previously been the case.

Attention was further drawn to a response by user u/alanX, who commented, “I'm at the Bitcoin Conference in Shanghai, and I can access Bitcointalk.org just fine. Google and google drive, no. Can't access them, but no problem accessing Bitcointalk.org.”

Newsbtc adds that coming from within the Shanghai Free Trade Zone it is possible that this latest addition is not subject to an all-out ban. Reddit users clarified the matter, however, with u/Liongrass stating, “… the Bitcoin conference wasn't hosted inside the Free Trade Zone. The Bitcoin conference however provided the participants with censorship-free internet via a proxy service.”

China made the news regarding the same issue in May, when CoinDesk reported suspension of access to its site and several others including non-media related resources such as Blockchain.info. CoinTelegraph.com and other media sites have thus far been spared this week.

Meanwhile, Bitcointalk users have taken to pondering the significance of the ban, which in line with other blocked sites such as Facebook and Twitter, can be circumvented via use of a VPN connection, as sites are banned by IP address and not domain. Such services have seen attempts at blocking, it is reported, but as doing so is practically impossible, they are in general available for use.

CoinTelegraph reached out to the Chinese Bitcoin community for its perspective on the move, and the mood seemed less than panicked.

“I don't believe this indicates any further ban against Bitcoin, more likely that some government officials want to do nothing and play safe,” a spokesman for exchange LakeBTC said. The company also added:



    “To Chinese government officials, they don’t care about Bitcoin but they care about a group of people gathering together to protest.”

Nonetheless, the reason for targeting this specific outlet for Bitcoin observers remains a mystery. As of September 25, Bitcointalk.org remains blocked.

[bornil267645]

They will never get it..Bitcoin rules..

[ChuckBuck]

China is just so ass backwards when it comes to their government, policies, censorship, firewall.

I mean they have so much manpower and brilliant people in all different fields of science, math, technology, art, athletics...but their communist views from the top hold that powerful nation back I feel sometimes.

Blocking a well known Bitcoin community website like Bitcointalk really is asinine and ignorant on so many levels, especially with a huge cryptocurrency movement going on with China.  I mean BTC China, Huobi, OK Coin, Discus Fish, Asic Miner, Bitmain, etc.

[Beliathon]

In a move no less curious than its previous attempts, China has blocked a popular Bitcoin website from being accessed on its domestic servers – but why?

When you have nearly 2 billion obedient human cattle to herd, you are extremely dependent on manufactured unreality. It's the same in the USA and Russia. Here we discuss reality, here we discuss the future, here we discuss mathematical inevitability.

Nonetheless, the reason for targeting this specific outlet for Bitcoin observers remains a mystery.

Mystery? There is no mystery at all. This sort of behavior is extremely predictable. Our truth is a direct threat to their mass-deception. Of course they don't want their citizens exposed to it! Look, the truth is like a virus infecting their body of lies.
Attempting to silence the truth via desperate quarantine is like an immune system response, totally futile but ultimately unavoidable. This is the last gasp of the nation-state, folks.

The dawn of the information age heralds the end for all nations, because all nations are built on a sandcastle of lies, and the unstoppable tide of information is finally coming in.

"Free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."

[v0yager]

I am Chinese,actually I can still access the Forum through the phone network(CUCC) ,but the forum isn't available on the PC as the PC is connected to Internet with the CTCC network.This is my situation.


We could not say the GFW has banned the forum because we can get access to the forum in some way even it's unstable. But we believe the day that they ban the forum fully might come someday.

[arbitrage001]

I am Chinese,actually I can still access the Forum through the phone network(CUCC) ,but the forum isn't available on the PC as the PC is connected to Internet with the CTCC network.This is my situation.


We could not say the GFW has banned the forum because we can get access to the forum in some way even it's unstable. But we believe the day that they ban the forum fully might come someday.

Doesn't make sense to ban internet but not phone network.

There are also some crypto forums hosted in China, are they being affected?

[Pepin]

Although I am not currently in China, I live there. Some things that are blocked on my mobile internet connection through China Unicom are available on my home internet connection through China Telecom, and vice-versa. I am pretty sure that telecom companies play a large part in "self-policing" internet access, so sometimes there are differences.

[QuestionAuthority]

I've seen every subject discussed on this forum in the last few years. Drugs, guns, overthrowing governments, bomb making, protest marches, torture, gambling, popular media stories, political debates, porn (every type, no matter how perverse), racism, prostitution, womanizing, bondage, rape, murder, robbery, fraud, assault, and one guys frequent sexual attraction to goats and other small farm animals.

You say the Chinese want to block this forum? Only the Chinese? I'm surprised every government in the world doesn't try to block it.

[pereira4]

In a move no less curious than its previous attempts, China has blocked a popular Bitcoin website from being accessed on its domestic servers – but why?

When you have nearly 2 billion obedient human cattle to herd, you are extremely dependent on manufactured unreality. It's the same in the USA and Russia. Here we discuss reality, here we discuss the future, here we discuss mathematical inevitability.

Nonetheless, the reason for targeting this specific outlet for Bitcoin observers remains a mystery.

Mystery? There is no mystery at all. This sort of behavior is extremely predictable. Our truth is a direct threat to their mass-deception. Of course they don't want their citizens exposed to it! Look, the truth is like a virus infecting their body of lies.
Attempting to silence the truth via desperate quarantine is like an immune system response, totally futile but ultimately unavoidable. This is the last gasp of the nation-state, folks.

The dawn of the information age heralds the end for all nations, because all nations are built on a sandcastle of lies, and the unstoppable tide of information is finally coming in.

"Free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."

You forgot North Korea, thats like the ultimate manufacturing of reality in history ever. It's fucking ridiculous that they are getting away with that shit in 2014. Poor people may never be able to use BTC, even after global adoption.

[BADecker]

I've seen every subject discussed on this forum in the last few years. Drugs, guns, overthrowing governments, bomb making, protest marches, torture, gambling, popular media stories, political debates, porn (every type, no matter how perverse), racism, prostitution, womanizing, bondage, rape, murder, robbery, fraud, assault, and one guys frequent sexual attraction to goats and other small farm animals.

You say the Chinese want to block this forum? Only the Chinese? I'm surprised every government in the world doesn't try to block it.

It's about freedom. If you were the leader of a small group of wealthy people who were controlling the world through Big Oil, Big Banking and Big Pharma, how would you attempt to get information, voluntarily, from all the people in the world? The Internet is one of the best ways.

On the Internet, people appear to have freedom. The freedom is partially true, and partially illusion. Every Internet thing is recorded by the Power Elite. The recording is being done so that the Power Elite can find out what is on the minds of people. Once they have that info, they can design more methods for controlling the world. POSSIBLY THE GREATEST THING THAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR IS, HOW MUCH INFO THE PEOPLE HAVE ON THEM, AND HOW AGGRAVATED THE PEOPLE ARE WITH THEM.

Why might people be aggravated with the Power Elite? It is the PE who are causing all the wars in the world, in their attempt to take over the world. Your sons and daughters, parents and grandparents, other relatives and friends, are being murdered in the wars that the PE are causing, causing for the purpose of taking control of the whole world, and keeping control of the parts that they control already.

The Internet is a big part, a big method for gaining free info, honest info, volunteered by the sheeple of the world, so that the Power Elite can take final control... or so they think.

[v0yager]

I am Chinese,actually I can still access the Forum through the phone network(CUCC) ,but the forum isn't available on the PC as the PC is connected to Internet with the CTCC network.This is my situation.


We could not say the GFW has banned the forum because we can get access to the forum in some way even it's unstable. But we believe the day that they ban the forum fully might come someday.

Doesn't make sense to ban internet but not phone network.

There are also some crypto forums hosted in China, are they being affected?

No, these forums won't be affected , you know ,hosting in China means the server is in China, in other words, they control everything, if there is something they don't like they will ask the site to delete it or they will take the server down directly.

[QuestionAuthority]

I am Chinese,actually I can still access the Forum through the phone network(CUCC) ,but the forum isn't available on the PC as the PC is connected to Internet with the CTCC network.This is my situation.


We could not say the GFW has banned the forum because we can get access to the forum in some way even it's unstable. But we believe the day that they ban the forum fully might come someday.

Doesn't make sense to ban internet but not phone network.

There are also some crypto forums hosted in China, are they being affected?

No, these forums won't be affected , you know ,hosting in China means the server is in China, in other words, they control everything, if there is something they don't like they will ask the site to delete it or they will take the server down directly.

They should just let you pretend to have freedom and use the internet. That way you can get on some forum and bitch about everything while they continue to squeeze your balls in a vise.

[wolfYella]

I am Chinese,actually I can still access the Forum through the phone network(CUCC) ,but the forum isn't available on the PC as the PC is connected to Internet with the CTCC network.This is my situation.


We could not say the GFW has banned the forum because we can get access to the forum in some way even it's unstable. But we believe the day that they ban the forum fully might come someday.

Doesn't make sense to ban internet but not phone network.

There are also some crypto forums hosted in China, are they being affected?

No, these forums won't be affected , you know ,hosting in China means the server is in China, in other words, they control everything, if there is something they don't like they will ask the site to delete it or they will take the server down directly.

They should just let you pretend to have freedom and use the internet. That way you can get on some forum and bitch about everything while they continue to squeeze your balls in a vise.

One freedom that you do not have in China is freedom of speech. If the GFW allowed access to BTT then Chinese users would potentially be able to criticize the government which they do not want

[Fabrizio89]

I don't understand this continuous hostility from China, they could easily own the mining market and thus a great percentage of the network, effectively having influence on Bitcoin itself.

[vancsj]

The GFW helped a lot in developping VPN business in China.

It's a Great F**king Wall.

[SilentJohn]

This is interesting but the forum gets blocked around the same time every evening (8pm to 9/10pm Beijing time)

I haven't seen this for other websites before...

[cyberpinoy]

I don't understand this continuous hostility from China, they could easily own the mining market and thus a great percentage of the network, effectively having influence on Bitcoin itself.

You dont buy much mining equipment do you, they already own the mining market, their miners are cheap fast and easy to use. the parts inside are also cheap crap and easy to break, But if you know what you are doing you can get a nice cheap minner and have it running forever. the Manufactures keep 12% of what they make, then "Rigorously Test" the other machines for as long as it takes to sell them. They already do almost have 50% of the hashrate right up there with Craphash.io (ghash.io) very quickly.

This (I THINK) came at a time that was drastic for china. With Alibaba POI coming out they wanted to Guarantee thier investors were investing in CHINA. remember China did not found  or create Bitcoin and its named after a Japanese person. CHINA HATES JAPAN, they hate everything about japan. I would easily say it is not bitcoin but how bitcoin was founded that is pushing this hostility towards bitcoin. If it were founded by Wu Kang Chung they may be more Apt to accept and embrace it.

no matter what the case they are successfully crashing the price so their plan is working perfectly as planned. The chinese invester who did not get out are clearly getting out now with a value close to 385 now. we are all loosing because of china. I hope they stay out this time, and go mess with the rich wallstreet boys and leave us alone. They can have their gold, and slaves, they can have their copper and electric, they can have their Great Firewall and bullshit, just leave the Bitcoin Community out of it.

[SilentJohn]

I don't understand this continuous hostility from China, they could easily own the mining market and thus a great percentage of the network, effectively having influence on Bitcoin itself.

You dont buy much mining equipment do you, they already own the mining market, their miners are cheap fast and easy to use. the parts inside are also cheap crap and easy to break, But if you know what you are doing you can get a nice cheap minner and have it running forever. the Manufactures keep 12% of what they make, then "Rigorously Test" the other machines for as long as it takes to sell them. They already do almost have 50% of the hashrate right up there with Craphash.io (ghash.io) very quickly.

This (I THINK) came at a time that was drastic for china. With Alibaba POI coming out they wanted to Guarantee thier investors were investing in CHINA. remember China did not found  or create Bitcoin and its named after a Japanese person. CHINA HATES JAPAN, they hate everything about japan. I would easily say it is not bitcoin but how bitcoin was founded that is pushing this hostility towards bitcoin. If it were founded by Wu Kang Chung they may be more Apt to accept and embrace it.

no matter what the case they are successfully crashing the price so their plan is working perfectly as planned. The chinese invester who did not get out are clearly getting out now with a value close to 385 now. we are all loosing because of china. I hope they stay out this time, and go mess with the rich wallstreet boys and leave us alone. They can have their gold, and slaves, they can have their copper and electric, they can have their Great Firewall and bullshit, just leave the Bitcoin Community out of it.

The comment on Japan is probably the most stereotyped assumption that I have heard in a while.

By the way, what is a POI?

[ChuckBuck]

I don't understand this continuous hostility from China, they could easily own the mining market and thus a great percentage of the network, effectively having influence on Bitcoin itself.

You dont buy much mining equipment do you, they already own the mining market, their miners are cheap fast and easy to use. the parts inside are also cheap crap and easy to break, But if you know what you are doing you can get a nice cheap minner and have it running forever. the Manufactures keep 12% of what they make, then "Rigorously Test" the other machines for as long as it takes to sell them. They already do almost have 50% of the hashrate right up there with Craphash.io (ghash.io) very quickly.

This (I THINK) came at a time that was drastic for china. With Alibaba POI coming out they wanted to Guarantee thier investors were investing in CHINA. remember China did not found  or create Bitcoin and its named after a Japanese person. CHINA HATES JAPAN, they hate everything about japan. I would easily say it is not bitcoin but how bitcoin was founded that is pushing this hostility towards bitcoin. If it were founded by Wu Kang Chung they may be more Apt to accept and embrace it.

no matter what the case they are successfully crashing the price so their plan is working perfectly as planned. The chinese invester who did not get out are clearly getting out now with a value close to 385 now. we are all loosing because of china. I hope they stay out this time, and go mess with the rich wallstreet boys and leave us alone. They can have their gold, and slaves, they can have their copper and electric, they can have their Great Firewall and bullshit, just leave the Bitcoin Community out of it.

The comment on Japan is probably the most stereotyped assumption that I have heard in a while.

By the way, what is a POI?

Pretty sure he meant IPO, but if this was a television show it's be "Person of Interest".   

[BitCoinDream]

I am Chinese,actually I can still access the Forum through the phone network(CUCC) ,but the forum isn't available on the PC as the PC is connected to Internet with the CTCC network.This is my situation.


We could not say the GFW has banned the forum because we can get access to the forum in some way even it's unstable. But we believe the day that they ban the forum fully might come someday.

Can u plz try out accessing BitcoinTalk using a tor browser and let us know ?