China's access to iTunes restored

August 28, 2008 Apple's online music store was fully blocked last week after it emerged that Olympic athletes in Beijing had used the store to download the compilation "Songs for Tibet." A statement accompanying the release reads: "Wearing an iPod, a simple yet powerful symbol of personal freedom, provides Olympic athletes with an acceptable way to make a statement about the repressive atmosphere of the Games and express support for free expression." Following another statement released by the Art of Peace Foundation on Aug. 18, revealing that over 40 Olympic athletes had downloaded the album, users in China began reporting problems with accessing iTunes, citing "The Great Firewall of China," a term referring to the Chinese Government's system of internet censorship.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.