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Iran's internet crackdown prompts frustration — and workarounds

Oct 6, 2022
After the death of Mahsa Amini, Iran's government and citizens use increasingly sophisticated tools in their struggle over information.
Iranian demonstrators in the streets of Tehran after the death of Mahsa Amini. The government has a history of blocking digital access when protests break out.
-/AFP via Getty Images

What Chinese streaming services censor from American TV shows

Sep 9, 2022
A journalist's side-by-side comparison of 100 episodes of “The Big Bang Theory” on Chinese and U.S. streaming sites.
Foreign TV shows on Chinese streaming websites like Youku must be approved by regulators. Journalist Manyun Zou analyzed 100 episodes of “The Big Bang Theory” to figure out what was censored.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Where have all of Shanghai's newsstands gone?

Jul 21, 2021
The kiosks have dwindled in Shanghai, and since the U.S.-China trade war began, it's hard to get people to answer even simple questions.
Gao Dongde, left, has been buying newspapers from Qu Yali's family for decades. He no longer lives in the neighborhood, but he still comes to pick up his newspapers from Qu because there are no newsstands near his current home.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

Critics say Zoom is exporting Chinese censorship

Jun 11, 2020
The controversy comes at a challenging time for a company whose fortunes have soared during the pandemic yet faces stiff challengers in the video-meeting sector.
Zoom founder Eric Yuan speaks during Zoom's IPO in 2019.
Kena Betancur/Getty Images

COVID-19 tests the limits of online schooling tech in China

Apr 21, 2020
Among the challenges: How do you teach gym class to students stuck in tiny apartments?
Ada Lu chats with her classmates in online group discussions every day but she hasn't seen them in person for more than two months and misses playing with her friends.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

Amazon restricts reviews of "American Dirt"

Jan 24, 2020
Comments on the controversial new book must be written by verified buyers, raising questions about the company’s influence on speech.
Daniel Roland/AFP via Getty Images

In China, economy dogged at decade's end

Dec 25, 2019
China started 2009 weathering the global financial crisis and ends the decade battling slower economic growth and a trade war with the U.S.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

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U.S. videogame giant seeks next approval in China, despite controversy over punishing Hong Kong gamer

Nov 22, 2019
The Chinese gaming market is estimated at more than $30 billion, second only to that of the United States.
Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

Hollywood, U.S. Navy accused of caving to Chinese censorship standards

Nov 21, 2019
The movie industry needs to sell tickets in China, so it often accepts Beijing's demands.
Moviegoers make their way to a multiplex cinema in Beijing in 2009.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

American entertainment versus Chinese censors

Oct 9, 2019
"South Park" creators doubled down on their criticism of Chinese censorship this week.
A Chinese flag is seen placed on a mannequin wearing the USA basketball uniform as Chinese shoppers look at clothing in the NBA flagship retail store on October 9, 2019 in Beijing, China.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images