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Ed Jones / AFP - Getty Images
Artist Ai Weiwei holds a webcam that he was reportedly ordered by Chinese police to disconnect at his home in Beijing on Thursday.
Artist and activist Ai Weiwei turned off four live webcams in his home late Wednesday after Chinese authorities ordered him to take them down. The live stream had been viewed around 5.2 million times in two days, he told NBC News.
Ai had launched the live video at weiweicam.com on April 3, the one-year anniversary of his detention at Beijing's international airport. He was held for three months during a crackdown on dissent and was subsequently fined 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) for alleged tax evasion, which he denies.
"I wanted them to see me on the first anniversary of my detention," Ai told NBC News in a phone interview on Thursday. "I'm still under surveillance from the public security."
Chinese authorities called him and said they "noticed I put something out on the Internet," and said they hoped he would take it down, Ai told NBC.
Behind The Wall: Ai Weiwei turns camera on himself, citing 'global' problem
Despite his arrest earlier this year, Ai Weiwei, has made challenging China's government practically a sport. NBC's Adrienne Mong has more on the latest standoff between the Chinese artist and the Chinese government.
"And I asked them, 'Is that an order?' And they said 'Yes, it's an order,'" Ai said.
He was not given a reason for the order, The Guardian newspaper reported.
Coup rumors spark China crackdown on social media websites
Despite having to turn off the live stream, Ai said he had still sent out a message.
"It's about power and individual creativity and about the Internet and about the privacy. You know, this issue about intruding into other people's privacy."
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He is a brave man. Only through courageous and tenacious people like him will China force its government to stop limiting freedom of speech.
China is a non-violent, peaceful nation. Because no crimes are actually put on the books.
See, this way, when the cameras are off, and the police beat and/or kill this man, it will 'never have happened.'
It is unbelievable to me that the Chines people would put up with a government that feels it can order you to do anything at all. I would burn that @!$%#ing place to the ground.
Yeah, because there is no record of cops ordering people to turn off camcorders here in the good old USA. Oops. Got yer matches handy?
Bill, thanks for bringing that to mind. It's so true.
Keep fighting the good fight!
And this is why China is not going to even approach, much less surpass the United States technologically or scientifically. Science requires a setting in which the free flow of information and inquiry can take place, which only exists in China in the most limited settings, just like in the Nazi and Soviet Empires. Authoritarian regimes may have a slight boost to scientific and technological pursuits for a brief period, but the limited access to free inquiry that science requires eventually cripples the whole endeavor. In the end, only liberal democracies like the United States and its Western allies can sustain scientific competitiveness, due to the fact that only they can adequately facilitate the free flow of knowledge and inquiry, while totalitarian regimes like the PRC cannot.
@Toasty, you're wrong. China will either send their students scientists here to get educated and trained, and then they'll take that knowledge back to China. Either that, or China will just hack our computer systems and steal our work.
Keep dreaming. They will have more engineers, more scientists, more consumers, more producers and they will come up with results. And what are we doing?? Borrowing money and spending it on our lavish lifestyle. Good luck with that!
I guess you guys didn't even bother to actually read my post. You can have scientists, but without the free system of inquiry and expression, that will only temporarily give you scientific advancement, because they still wouldn't be able to do science. That's the whole point of why what you guys just said doesn't matter. Honestly, it wouldn't kill you to learn to read things before responding to them.
It's so nice that American corporations have been funding the Chinese totalitarian regime by doing so much business there (and selling us junk to boot).
Of course, the US government is going in the same direction.
Them CEO of firms like Apple (Jobs), GE etc etc are TRAITORs Corporate TRAITORS should be charged with Treason
I wish the US didn't have to do any business with Communist China but it's inevitable in a global economy, and where else would Walmart get all of it's merchandise? I just find it ironic that the Communists want to have 24/7 surveillance on the outside but not the INSIDE of his house. You'd think they'd jump at the chance to sit and watch him during every moment of the day considering what a "threat" he is to Communism. The Chinese people will overthrow the government at some point i'm sure but I don't think it'll be any time soon.
China is a capitalist country with a totalitarian government -- the descriptor "Communist" is just a party label.
Ai WeiWei is such a brave man - wish him all the best!
So I have one less job opportunity HU...
But when you or your predecessor walk through overt Marshal law (worse than your nation) set on top of covert marshal law (worse than your nation) just remember the pig this piece of @!$%# really is and how much faster all truth evaporates the larger America's perversion gets...
...because now that our dirty little secret is out you can over analyze the compromised position this noble prize wearing man of courage tried to put you in -justifying humanities greatest perversion over every one's head- but I defended myself only so I could look in a mirror every day because the real trick is how he manages to do the same...
...Enjoy the free and open society of Chicago Hu cause remember their is no lawful proof Hu...
All in your head...all in your head...all in your head...
...@!$%#in frightening society
Mr. President,
Can you move me up so I can get a free movie every time you are in town...
No matter how bad the flick I am guaranteed to see someone with more character in less disturbed nation...
I told the absolute truth about how you are one of the greatest perverts in human history without going into any sidebars since my courtesy will be honored until my breath in this sulfur wreaking perversion so now everything that has happened is just my fun filled fantasy HU...
Looks like your worlds are really not that far apart after all HU because overtly telling him he is a threat is better than making him one out of thin air to give you cause to end his life...
I hope you live forever you repulsive and cowardly piece of garbage because if anyone knows the infinite odds it is you Mr. President because it will all seem like one blink of the eye as one reality gives way to another more powerful and permanent one...
Wait... Whaaaa???? Someone needs to get back on their meds, methinks...
Or, was this addressed to the Chinese president?
Ai Weiwei all over the intermets and not one potty joke? Im dissapointed.
Ai WeiWei should consider himself lucky; if he lived in the U.S. he would be told to turn off the webcam, the webcam and computer would be confiscated, he would be maced in the face, thrown to the ground and have his neck stepped on by the local police until they could throw him into a vehicle and take him to jail.
Impossible you say? Get your heads out of the sand and open your eyes. The U.S. is slowly but sure becoming a police state.
Mr.Xi jin ping(vice president of china) recent trip to US told obama admistration that there's still room for improvement of human rights and freedom of speech in china. after Chinese authorities ordered activist Ai Weiwei to turn off four live webcams in his home late Wednesday, i doubt where is the freedom of speech and human rights now as what Mr.Xi told obama previously. Indeed,Mr.Xi was singing...