Via the Toronto Globe and Mail  ...

China gets own 'Wikipedia'
Associated Press


BEIJING — China's biggest Internet search site, Baidu.com, has launched a Chinese-language encyclopedia inspired by the co-operative reference site Wikipedia, which the communist government bars China's Web surfers from seeing.

The Chinese service, which debuted in April, carries entries written by users, but warns that it will delete content about sex, terrorism and attacks on the government.

Government censors blocked access last year to Wikipedia, apparently due to concern about its references to Tibet, Taiwan and other topics.

The emergence of Baidu's encyclopedia reflects efforts by Chinese entrepreneurs to take advantage of conditions created by the government's efforts to simultaneously promote and control Internet use.

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