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42 Comments
- AllenS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+32same way that millions of people get high in the U.S. even though it's illegal...
- tktk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21I'm not surprised. I was in China a year ago for an electronics trade convention. The Chinese businessmen would give out business cards to practically everyone with their email and phone number.
But if they really wanted to do business with you, they would hand-write their Skype contact info on the back of the business card. - AeonTorpor, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19"It is not quite the same really. The U.S. and China are two very different countries."
Totally, I agree 100%. I mean China has a Totalitarian Gov't and the US has a..... nm :) - arrrrrg, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13@sspooner:
Here's a thesis for you: think before you post - thecolor11, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Just wait until some American company like Yahoo or Cisco decides to turn over to Beijing the IP addresses of all those people.
- Solol, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6A better comparison would be a ratio Skype users / Total Internet users : you get a ratio around 1 in 5.
- Agret, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Yea, why can't china's firewall block it? Whats up with that guys?
- OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Just curious, what is this "uncertain legality" with SkypeOut? Is it sort of along the lines of how Telecoms in the US tend to convince the government that certain technologies that side-step them is illegal? is the telephone service in China government operated? (probably)
- Agret, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5why is blog spam getting so much bad press? I keep seeing you posting that URL. We get the idea, if we wanted old skool gaming clubs we'd goto yahoo.
- silkworm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Agret:
It's hard to block, because it's encrypted and it can use https or http ports for communication, so they'd probably have to block all encrypted traffic, which is not an option. - pagit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3just one way 13 million users to thumb their noses at the Communist government and the state run phone system
- k61230, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7The basic question's how can 13 milion users be using it if its ilegal??
- saintnuke, on 10/12/2007, -2/+513 million is 1% of the population. The other 99% are obeying the party line. Just putting this into perspective.
- Trjn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3SkypeOut is legally quesitonable, Skype in itself is not.
What I find more interesting about this article is that half the page is ads and they split this extremely minimal story over two pages. There should be a limit on this stuff, honestly. . . - kingygk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Skype is illegal in China because Skype encryptes its voip traffic. I can talk to my chinese friends all day long about how to over throw the government and there is no way for china to know. It is impossible for them to wiretap. That's what the little gold padlock means on your skype screen name when you talk to someone on skype the conversation is encrypted :)
- M4v3rIC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Skype really isn't illigal, I talk to my friends there all the time, it's a big money saver.
Many things are illigal in China, many things are illigal in USA, not everything is enforced... not everything CAN be inforced, talking about overthrowing the government in USA is treason, not everyone gets sent to Guatanamo bay. - walugi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Only skyeout is illegal. Normal computer usage is fine.
@Speezer: How would you know? Have you been to China? Or are you just making your well informed decision based on what you read in the newspaper. - jasonwc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Why would Skype-Skype calls be legal? They're encrypted point to point with AES and can be sent on standard http or https ports (or any other port). SkypeOut is more dangerous because it prevents China from monitoring outgoing international calls to regular phone lines, but Skype-Skype calls are just as difficult to monitor, if not more so. Skype also also encrypts chats and file transfers. While other programs can do this as well, Skype is a very popular and easy to use application. I'm sure China doesn't want to see the use of encryption skyrocket as it will make monitoring Internet traffic far more difficult.
- sl4x0r, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2am i the only one that thinks this guy is getting so many front page stories (FPS's?) because of a REALLY eye catching (and cleverly deceiving) avatar icon?
- Ankh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Gees, think about blocking all the encrypted traffic, it might be horribly true.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If everything was illegal then they, the government, can pick and choose who to go after and lock up. What government wouldn't want to be able to do this?
- corkster, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2My dad works in Beijing, and speaks to my mom over Skype every other night.
I hope the commies don't get him :(
Could it be like how taping things on VCR is a bit of a grey area here? - schildkroeter, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3wow, now that's interesting i think!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"it is impossible for them to wiretap."
This isn't true, it's not IMPOSSIBLE for them to wiretap. There are many ways that they can simply crack the packets and record the conversations as much as they want to, in fact there are so many ways to do it that you can find it on vid and podcasts such as the broken or systm.
But even though it's not impossible, it is a lot of work. And with 13 million people using it, they're not going to go through all of that for all of those people therefore they simply make it illegal.
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Come on diggers help me out and click this link: http://gh.ffshrine.org/soundtracks.php?r=3654 (809/1000) thanks to those who have helped me out so far! - speezer, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Everything is illegal in China. The tighter they squeeze the more slips through their fingers.
- jjintheuk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0lol intresting story though if it is illegal in China (which it probably insn't). It might be because its government wont like people talking to each other about them without them knowing, there was a TV program about the encryption in the UK. They just said - "its safer for our users" (far enough), the journalist said - "criminals and terrorists could use this so their calls cant be monitored" (or something along those lnes)
Jack
http://www.psp-uk.net - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Nice saying but not apt.
- isosceles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The issue at hand: China is a communist country in a great love affair with capitalism.
- CoffeeNinja, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I have setup Asterisk@Home to keep in touch with friends and family using a spare computer. Could this might be an alternative to using Skype? Just a thought..
- psychobabelfish, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0China — Population: 1,306,313,812
- richardiscool, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1"Could it be like how taping things on VCR is a bit of a grey area here?"
Er.... no. - callinthelaw69, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1It has more users than any other country in the world? Really. Huh probably has something to do with the fact that 2 billion people live there, ya think?
- manjuratnoji, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Really it is big money saver for ISD calls . http://telecomforyou.blogspot.com
- rumor, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2i wouldn't really call this bad press, but what they have gotten was well deserved.
- Jovan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2So bloody true.
- sspooner, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Retard.
- iuky0, on 10/11/2008, -5/+2well.. lets see its only like a baGILLIAN cents per minute difference calling us... its a no brainer. If the government is being stupid, people know and they arent going to take it.
- nuclearpenguins, on 10/12/2007, -16/+6Huh?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -17/+5It is not quite the same really. The U.S. and China are two very different countries.
- snoopgst1, on 10/12/2007, -19/+1why is new tech like skype getting so much bad press?
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http://aljitech.com/ Old Skool Gamers - sspooner, on 10/12/2007, -25/+2I've noticed that the first post on EVERY SINGLE front page digg.com article is buried.
I wonder if there is a thesis in this. - MediaShipper, on 10/12/2007, -41/+2http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2993/2522/1600/nicole92569.jpg
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