Largest File Sharing Sites in China Shut Down
The popularity of p2p file sharing software and torrent sites has reached China some time ago and it has established well in this country where censorship is sometimes a common practice (not even Google escaped being blocked a while ago).
Authorities have become concerned with the growing of the file sharing phenomenon and during this last weekend regulators have increased their combativeness against it – BTChina, the largest torrent site in the country together with a number of other p2p sites were shut down, Shanghai Daily reported.
Some of the sites were shut down, others were ordered to remove all links to copyrighted files. The ones to push for the move were the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
According to Huang Xiwei, the founder of BTChina, they have been sent a notice to shut down because they don't have a license.
One of the sites involved in the decision, UUbird.com, said it would remove all links for downloading TV series and movies by mid-February "to firmly support and comply with the state's laws and regulations."
It remains to be seen if all other sites will comply with the ruling.
