
AWS opening Beijing Region (for select customers) - nickm12
http://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2013/12/18/announcing-the-aws-china-beijing-region/
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samspenc
I am extremely concerned about this move. We use AWS extremely heavily at our
company, and as much as we love AWS, I'm concerned that their having a data
center in China would subject the data and information flowing through their
pipes to China's draconian data interception and censorship laws.

I remember Microsoft wanting to open up Azure in China:
[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/4357-microsoft-azure-s-
china...](http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/4357-microsoft-azure-s-china-cloud-
raises-troubling-questions/)

but backtracked just two months later, likely for exactly those reasons:
[http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/11/azure-goes-
to-c...](http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/11/azure-goes-to-china/)

~~~
jauer
Perhaps that's why it seems to be extra specially isolated (separate
credentials, separate domain, separate API endpoints).

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ceejayoz
> Customers who wish to use the new Beijing Region are required to sign up for
> a separate set of account credentials unique to the China (Beijing) Region.
> Customers with existing AWS credentials will not be able to access resources
> in the new Region, and vice versa.

I'm guessing this is related to China's foreign ownership laws?

~~~
iloveponies
Also, I imagine the various regulation ISPs and hosting providers are
obligated to inside the country - if customers can siphon off data that local
officials disapprove of to another region easily, it puts Amazon in a
difficult position.

~~~
Tarang
Also it's bad for other sites. If China pulls of their google antics on Amazon
and blocks sites hosted by them its a large proportion of what we all use
blocked inside China as casualties.

Hopefully it doesn't come to something like that

