Reports Claim China Has Blocked Access to Flickr Amidst Pro-Democracy Protests

Recent reports claim that, in an effort to increase censorship, China has blocked Yahoo! photo sharing site Flickr alongside a number of other social media services. According to Greatfire.org, a group dedicated to keeping the Internet open for all, the site has been down since July 1st.

Greatfire uses a collection of servers across a number of cities in China to determine what websites are being blocked. And while things such as pornography, propaganda against the nation, Twitter and Facebook are known to be censored, Flickr is one that’s always been in a bit of limbo.

The reason for the increase in the number of websites being blocked is said to be the pro-democracy protests that are currently taking place in Hong Kong. By blocking Flickr, the government gives protesters one less resource through which they can get the word out and organize.

In an email, Yahoo! told Bloomberg yesterday that it is aware of and investigating the situation.

(via Bloomberg)

Image credits: Defend Democratic Values by See-ming Lee and used in accordance with Creative Commons license.