May 15, 2006 | In Politics, Technology |
Chinese internet giant, Baidu.com, is trying to break into the user-edited online reference business with its very own rip off of the Wikipedia project.
The new site, “Baidupedia,” however, enforces a strict moderation process to make sure that nothing gets published that could offend China’s communist government.
Baidupedia’s FAQ page orders users to maintain a positive attitude about the country’s current government, avoid portraying a “negative view of life.”
In short, the Baidu encyclopedia uses the Wikipedia model as a propaganda generator and government ass-kissing machine. I suppose they have a market, since the real Wikipedia has been banned in China since last year, but I don’t think Baidupedia will be very appealing to anyone with an independent brain.
