【新唐人2012年1月30日讯】世界最大的社交网站之一推特，日前在博客网站发表声明，宣布已经改进网站技术，可根据不同国家的限制来屏蔽用户言论。声明引起包括艾未未等众多推友的强烈抗议。舆论认为，推特是在走谷歌的老路，试图进入中国市场而进行自我设限。
推特的声明写道，随着公司在全球发展，推特将进军一些对言论自由有不同解释的国家。由于这些国家对言论自由的解释与公司的理念出入很大，以至公司始终无法进入这些国家。
声明还表示，推特目前已经拥有按不同国家要求单独过滤用户推文的技术，但目前还没有启用。但如果未来有国家要求推特过滤某一内容，推特将通知被屏蔽用户，并计划在“寒蝉效应”网站上分享由政府、企业以及个人所提出的删除消息要求。
中国“权利运动博客”负责人胡军表示，推特按照国别来对待网民的做法是严重歧视，不符合自由平等的普世价值和互联网精神。
胡军：“这有悖于他建立推特的宗旨。推特建立的宗旨就是为了人们更好的自由的交流。”
推特作为去年“阿拉伯之春”的示威串联和统筹平台，立场的转变，令许多维权人士失望，也遭到了网路用户的强烈反对。很多推友表示将停用一天推特来抗议新的审查规定。
艺术家艾未未发出推文表示：“言论自由，没得商量！推﹙特﹚若审查，我即罢推！”
埃及维权人士萨利姆在推特留言：“这是很坏的消息。可以说推特出卖了我们吗?”
“无国界记者”总监巴西尔给推特执行主席杰克‧多尔西写信，他表示，推特选择与专制者一伙，是为了打入中国市场。这个审查的决定将剥夺异见网民一个获取资讯和统筹活动的重要工具。
湖北荆州民主人士宋翔峰：“任何外国公司的这些倡导言论自由的软体进入中国的话，中共政权都不会允许他这么开放的一个自由度。中共都会给他一个框框，会限制他，按照中共官方的意志来决定他的使用范围。”
“汉堡大学”教授茵萨•斯乌特斯也认为，推特很明显是要向中国市场扩张，试图从目前的1亿用户扩大到超过10亿。
但广州维权作家野渡表示，在中国使用推特的网民，主要是追求自由、真实信息的翻墙用户，推特的审查将会失去这些用户，包括他。
野渡：“（推特）对我们的最大意义就是它不是一个言论审查的工具，用户在上面可以自由的发表言论。当它这个引以为傲的工具失去作用的时候，那麽就很难获得中国的用户。如果他一定要用这种办法来推行的话，他失去的比得到的会更加多。”
有网友认为，推特正在走谷歌的老路。当初谷歌进入大陆，并没有预见到中共的审查制度对公司价值的冲击。谷歌从最初放弃部分原则，默认中共当局对内容的限制，到2010年1月，拒绝进一步接受当局的审查要求，从而退出中国大陆市场。
德国《世界报》报导认为，推特走谷歌的老路并非偶然。推特的法律顾问是亚历山大•麦克吉里弗雷，他曾帮助过谷歌适应中国市场。
新唐人记者常春，李明飞，孙宁采访报导。
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Twitter Will Self-Censor, Ai Weiwei Will Stop Tweeting
One of the world’s largest social networking sites, Twitter,
recently stated in its blog the ability to censor content according to a user country’s restriction.
Activists, including Ai Weiwei, strongly protest Twitter’s
statement.
It is believed that Twitter is taking Google’s old path –
attempting to enter the Chinese market.
Twitter stated in its official blog that as it continues to
grow internationally,
Twitter “will enter countries that have different ideas about
the contours of freedom of expression.”
Some differ so much from Twitter’s ideas that Twitter “will
not be able to exist there.”
It is also stated that Twitter has “the ability to reactively
withhold content from users in a specific country” and
Twitter hasn’t “yet used this ability, but if and when
Twitter is required to withhold a Tweet in a specific country,”
Twitter “will attempt to let the user know,” through
“partnership with Chilling Effects to share this new page.”
Human Rights Campaign in China representative Hu Jun
indicated that Twitter discriminates users based on their
nationality and violates the universal values of freedom and
equality and spirit of the internet.
Hu Jun: “This is opposing Twitter’s mission, the mission for
open exchange of information and freedom of expression."
Twitter was believed to serve as a platform for the Arab
Spring last year.
Its changing position has disappointed many activists and
met with strong opposition from internet users.
Many Twitter users are going to protest Twitter’s new policy
by ceasing to use Twitter for a day.
Artist Ai Weiwei tweets: “There is no negotiation for freedom
of speech! If Twitter censors, I will stop tweeting!”
Egyptian activist Mahmoud Salem tweets, “This is very bad
news.” “Is it safe to say that (hash)Twitter is selling us out?”
In his letter to Twitter Executive Chairman Jack Dorsey,
Olivier Basille, director of Reporters without Borders,
suspected the decision was “motivated by the desire to
penetrate the Chinese market at all costs.”
He stated, “Twitter is depriving cyber dissidents in repressive
countries of a crucial tool for information and organization.”
Song Xiangfeng, a democracy activist from Jingzhou, Hubei
province: “Any foreign software that advocates freedom of expression will not be allowed by the communist regime.
The CCP will always limit the scope of the software
according to the regime’s desire. “
Professor Insa Sjurts of University of Hamburg believes,
“apparently, Twitter is expanding into the Chinese market.”
It plans to increase the number of active users significantly,
from the current 100 million to more than a billion users.
Ye Du, a writer and activist from Guangzhou indicated that
Twitter users in China are mainly internet users who have bypassed the firewall for freedom and true information exchange.
Twitter’s censor policy will end up losing these users,
including him.
Ye Du: “Twitter’s greatest significance for us is that
it is not a censorship tool, users can express freely.
When the once magical tool has lost its effectiveness,
it will be hard to maintain its users.
If it insists on this policy,
it will lose more than what it will gain.”
There are Internet users who believe that Twitter is going down
the old path of Google.
Google entered the mainland not being able to foresee the
impact of CCP’s censorship on the value of the company.
They went from giving up some of the principles by the initial
default content restrictions of the Chinese authorities,
to finally declining to accept the censorship request and
withdrawing from the Mainland Chinese market in January 2010.
“The World” (Die Welt) report believes it is no accident
Twitter is taking the same measures Google did.
Alexander Macgillivray, legal advisor of Twitter used to work
for Google when Google adapted to the Chinese market.
NTD reporters Chang Chun, Li Mingfei and Sun Ning
