Covering The Olympics? The Chinese Government's Probably Keeping Tabs On You.

So, hmm. The bastion of press freedom known as China is building an extensive database on the 30,000 foreign journalists scheduled to cover the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But, don't worry: It's not to create blacklists, obstruct reporters or to prevent access to those rabblerousing Uighur and Tibetan secessionists.

The San Francisco Chronicle was told they have until February to disclose the names of their journalists... and the Agence France-Presse got the quote of the day, from Li Zhanjun of the Beijing Olympic organizing committee's media centre:

"Some reporters like to cover sport and some others are very interested in politics ... so we have some kind of data and information concerning that."

No comment necessary on that one, eh?