China Blocks Wikipedia Ahead Of Thirtieth Anniversary Of Pro-Democracy Tiananmen Square Protests

Wikipedia, which is a free online encyclopedia, has been blocked by the Chinese authorities, owner of the platform said on Wednesday (15 May), reports The Hindu.

The online encyclopedia is owned by the Wikimedia Foundation. “In April, the Wikimedia Foundation determined that Wikipedia was no longer accessible in China,” Samantha Lien, spokeswoman for the Wikimedia Foundation said in a email.

“After closely analysing our internal traffic reports, we can confirm Wikipedia is blocked across all language versions,” Lien said, as reported by The Hindu.

China, which is known for keeping tight control on social media and other online modes of information, has already banned Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites.

According to the report, the Chinese authorities had earlier banned individuals Wikipedia articles about sensitive issues, such as the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and Tibet.

However, in April this year, Chinese internet users took to social media to complain about non-accessibility of Wikipedia, raising suspicion on total block on it by the Chinese authorities.

According to the report, Chinese authorities increases censorship before major political events or sensitive anniversaries. This June will mark the 30 years since the army forcibly suppressed the pro-democracy protests centered around Tiananmen Square.