What's That Noise?! [Ian Kallen's Weblog]

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20050701 Friday July 01, 2005

The Emerging Online Tiger, China's Next Revolution or Balkanization? The micropublishing revolution of the last several years and the wiring (and wirelessing) of China are ripe to converge. Or collide. Or combust.

The numbers cited in this BBC article about the Chinese online population are really staggering.

Of course, how Beijing's appetite for control will adapt remains a fascinating question. There's no shortage of folks willing to probe the boundaries, contrast Microsoft's willingness to play along. But perhaps the most interesting development ahead is a balkanization of the internet. As the U.S. Department of Commerce asserts continued control of ICANN and China asserts more control on its domestic web sites, it doesn't seem that far fetched.

( Jul 01 2005, 10:33:33 AM PDT ) Permalink