Skype Gains iPhone Video Calls, Loses China

[vansau]

Skype Gains iPhone Video Calls, Loses China

Today's been one of those "one step forward, a few billion steps back" sort of days for Skype.

Skype has unveiled a video calling feature for the iPhone, but this rather triumphant reveal is probably turning to ash in the company's mouth right now, as it turns out China has banned the service entirely from its borders. iPhone users can now conduct video calls over both 3G coverage and Wi-Fi connections, to both Skype users with other iPhones or those using the service on their computers. The feature is apparently being rolled out slowly across the globe. Except, of course, in China.

Now, within China, Skype has been completely banned by the government. VOIP services are being limited to two government-owned services: China Unicom and China Telecom. As Geek.com points out: "As they are state-owned they can be state monitored meaning anyone using these services will be subject to having their calls recorded."

For the moment, Skype is still accessible in China via Tom Online, but it's not expected to stay this way for much longer.

Source: Geek

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[InnerRebellion]

Hrrm. I have Skype, but I don't feel like paying to call people's phones...

Also, what is the deal with China? Isolationism doesn't work, you know.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Are we surprised? China may be cherrypicking the parts of capitalism it likes, but at its core it is still a repressive dictatorship with a no-holds-barred philosophy towards keeping its populace in-line. Anything the state cannot directly control and monitor is going to be weeded out.

Not much that can be done about it until China's people, having had tastes of true freedom, decide that it's time to rise up and change how things are done.

 

[Eri]

Color me surprised. No really, I'm surprised..right...?

 

[KeyMaster45]

Also, what is the deal with China? Isolationism doesn't work, you know.

You're right it doesn't, however, so long as foreign companies turn to them for cheap production labor they can snub their noses at whatever they want.

Anytime China does something like this it just makes them look immature. Sure go ahead, monitor what your people are saying via video chat to make sure the rebels aren't planning to blow up your death star, the rest of the world will just sit back and laugh at you because the message sent is that you're paranoid about being criticized.

 

[Amazon warrior]

I don't think there's a facepalm big enough for some of the antics China is getting up to at the moment. There was all that nonsense about the Nobel Peace prize recently too.

Not much that can be done about it until China's people, having had tastes of true freedom, decide that it's time to rise up and change how things are done.

Here's hoping.

 

[HK_01]

I am really dumbfounded by this. I really don't see any reason why China would ban the use of Skype...have they also banned telephones?

 

[Motiv_]

I am really dumbfounded by this. I really don't see any reason why China would ban the use of Skype...have they also banned telephones?

They've pretty much banned everything not controlled by the government. They probably allow telephones, but you can bet they're bugged and recorded.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I originally read Unicom as Unicorn.

Can't say I'm surprised.

 

[Scrythe]

Got the update. It was glorious.

Funny this about that is as soon as the patch was finished, I immediately received a video call from my brother.

Back to China: You know why making fun of them is so much fun? Because - like the Amish - they are never going to find out.

 

[MortisLegio]

Not much that can be done about it until China's people, having had tastes of true freedom, decide that it's time to rise up and change how things are done.

just wait, their middle class is growing and if China continues on its past habits their will be a new government there in the next 50 years

OT:is anyone surprised? it China... they monitor everything including the tourists (especially the tourists - we had at least two guys following us the whole damn time we were there)

 

[matrix3509]

As Geek.com points out: "As they are state-owned they can be state monitored meaning anyone using these services will be subject to having their calls recorded."

You mean like the NSA can do right here in America?

Except in America you can criticize the government and still keep your reproductive organs.

 

[Originality]

Maybe someday the people of China will mass-migrate to the rest of the world. Then the government can rule their very own landmass of unpopulated rock.

 

[Erana]

Why on Earth did you have to come out of retirement, Mao?

 

[Roboto]

Uhg. It's only a matter of time before the bombs start falling...

 

[Vrach]

That's awesome, the new feature I mean. As for China, yeah, that's pretty much why the world's not a fan of communism. The promotion of the value of state over everything else leads to isolationism, among a great many other terrible things. I'm more sad when I see the so called democratic governments and states promoting personal freedom doing similar shit and getting away with it though.

 

[Suijen]

I have Skype version 5.10 and I'm in Beijing. It works fine.

OT:is anyone surprised? it China... they monitor everything including the tourists (especially the tourists - we had at least two guys following us the whole damn time we were there)

Unless you were at a very sensetive area, the people following you were probably pickpockets.

 

[MortisLegio]

I have Skype version 5.10 and I'm in Beijing. It works fine.

OT:is anyone surprised? it China... they monitor everything including the tourists (especially the tourists - we had at least two guys following us the whole damn time we were there)

Unless you were at a very sensetive area, the people following you were probably pickpockets.

No, pickpockets don't tend to follow you around the whole country (Shanghai,Beijing, Xian)* and yes Im sure it was the same guys
*sorry for any misspellings