Formally launched just three weeks ago, MSN's portal in China has apparently banned the words "democracy" and "freedom," among other objectionable concepts, from parts of its website in an effort to avoid censors' sensibilities, writes the Financial Times. Users of its blog service, MSN Spaces, have been confronted with an error message - "This item contains forbidden speech. Please delete the forbidden speech from this item" - when attempting to use words such as "demonstration," "democratic movement" and "Taiwan independence" to label their websites. However, the use of those words within blogs is not blocked.

Beijing has circumscribed online political debate, requiring that website operators, and more recently blogs, to register with the central government. Foreign players, among them internet giants Google, Yahoo and eBay, have had to play by local rules to avoid making waves that could upend their entry into a lucrative market.

MSN's China joint venture said users of MSN Spaces were required to accept its code of conduct, which forbids the posting of content that "violates any local and national laws." "MSN abides by the laws and regulations of each country in which it operates," the joint venture said.

Stories on Major U.S. Firms Helping China Repress Citizens:
- Google's Censorship in China Worked, Wins Favor
- U.S. Internet Giants Come Knocking as China Lowers Barriers
- China Requires Blog Registration
- Google: Our Censorship is China's Fault
- Google Aiding China in Muzzling Press
- China Cracks Down Further on Net Expression
- WPP Flaunts its Unique Power to Buy Chinese Agencies
- China Closes Thousands of Internet Cafes
- China Net Growth Slows
- China Suffers Censorship Setback
- China's Keystone Web Kops at It Again
- China Hones Net Monitors on Pornography
- China Shortens Online Expression Leash
- China Censors Two Major Blog Sites