China Nudges Accused Video Pirates Down the Plank, Stirring Frustration Over Censorship

An effort and hard work by police to shut down a pipeline for pirated content has resurrected discussion about censorship in China, opening a window into the anxieties felt by quite a few Chinese as the nation grows extra inward-hunting less than leader Xi Jinping.

For many months, authorities in Shanghai have been investigating associates of Renren Yingshi, a sprawling network of translators that presents uncensored foreign Television exhibits and films to tens of millions of Chinese less than the guise of instruction, around suspected copyright violations.

The probe captivated little detect till before this thirty day period, when Shanghai police issued a detect revealing the detentions of extra than a dozen men and women as part of the investigation. The announcement set off an outpouring of anguished messages from supporters on the internet, which includes on Weibo, a well-known Twitter -like system, the place the hashtag “Renren Yingshi investigated for pirated videos” captivated 800 million sights in less than 24 hours.

“Salute to all individuals who have aided us open up the door to the earth in all eras,” Yan Feng, a literature professor at Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University, wrote in a Weibo publish to his extra than five million followers.

“How about giving us a authorized and uncensored avenue as a substitute?” asked a different person, whose remark acquired extra than 23,600 likes.