Global Voices Online translates web users comments about the future of Sina’s microblogging service in the wake of heightened censorship following calls for a so-called Jasmine Revolution:
…The issue at stake is probably not whether Sina Weibo will be able to survive, but on Sina Weibo users’ toleration of its censorship practice.
Predictably, censorship measures have resulted in a tense relationship between the company and its users. When the government tightens it control over online speech, and Weibo as a result has to suffer in order to survive under the censorship system, the conflict intensifies.[…] Which helps explain why Sina deputy director Chen Tong (under the username Lao Chen 老沉) popped up in the Sina Tech News’ Weibo thread this morning, claiming that the chance of Sina Weibo being shut down within next 20 years is 0%. Many Weibo users reacted strongly to his assertion, and criticized the current self-censorship practices.
Here is a selection of comments:
[…] 山上没有神仙 新浪在党的领导下是不会被关闭的.(今天 09:17)
No Fairies on the Mountain: Under the leadership of the Party (CCP), Sina will not be shut down. (Today 09:17)
孙卡拉 被叫停风险还是有的，被公众抛弃的风险也是有的。(今天 09:20)
Sun Kala: There is a risk of Weibo getting shut down, and there is also a risk of people abandoning it. (Today 09:20)
钟启华_cola 只会阉，不会关。外国投行真是扯蛋，对中国缺乏基本常识。就这理解能力，中国网络股在美国怎么跌怎么涨都正常。叫停风险0.2%都不到，别说两成了。与其担心政策风险，担心盈利模式更实在。(今天 09:20)
Amazing China_cola: It will only be castrated and will not shut down. Foreign investment banks are talking bullshit. They don’t have any common sense about China. That’s why it is normal for the stock value to go up and down. The risk is less than 0.2%, the worry should not be over censorship regulations but on having a profit-making model. (Today 09:20)
丹青兰 被关闭的概率很小，不超过10%，但被监控，被整改的可能性是实实在在存在滴 (今天 09:21)
Orchid Painting: The chance of Weibo getting shut down is very small, less than 10%. But monitoring and manipulation is part of the reality. (Today 09:21)
