• Associated Press, Friday, January 4, 2008 10:48 AM

China extended the reach of its Great Web Wall on Thursday by announcing that it would only allow state-controlled Web sites to post video to the Web and by requiring Internet providers to delete and report certain kinds of content. As yet, it's unclear how the new restrictions will affect sites like Google's YouTube, which depend on its users to upload pieces of video. However, a YouTube spokesperson said the new rules "could be a cause for concern, depending on the interpretation."

The new regulations take effect on Jan. 31. They were approved by both the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and the Ministry of Information Industry. The new policy doesn't quash video sharing in China altogether, but it does require those sites broadcasting video to be controlled or operated by the government. Pornography, anti-nationalist content, content involving national secrets, and anything else that "disrupts social stability" is henceforth banned.

For large U.S. Web companies like Google and Microsoft, which hope to cash in on the expansion of online video, the move will restrict the breadth, reach and growth of video ad revenue in China.

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