We saw it in Myanmar in 2007 and now Lhasa, 2008. Not just the violence and quashing of peaceful protest but the breakthroughs of modern technology. The images from mobile telephones, the blog posts, the emails and phone calls.

So many images and eye-witness accounts have been delivered to lounge rooms and computers around the world from individuals with access to technology inside Tibet.

After completely shutting Tibet down (including Mt Everest) China says it is allowing some media in. We know this access is severely restricted, we know that bedroom bloggers and those daring enough to snap pictures on their phones are more reliable methods of getting accurate images and information out of Lhasa and surrounding areas.

Last week China blocked access to You Tube. Authorities have been door knocking, raiding houses and calling for people to 'turn themselves in' - the level of fear must be extreme. Yet, still people find any way they can to be heard, to be seen by the world that China attempts to close them off from - online social change is exciting and probably very scary to the Chinese Government.

Still it is far from a shining light, although the internet is designed to breakdown barriers and allow access to information - in China it is used by the Government to further abuse human rights, to conduct surveillance, administer threats and warnings and using the internet the way you or I might can result in a lengthy jail sentence. The tug-o-war will continue as net users get more daring and find more ways around the Great Firewall and on the other side as authorities get more sophisticated technology and employ even more internet monitors.

Banned, blocked jailed - internet users in China. A previous blog with more in-depth info and other articles. Some of the background to the current situation in Tibet, with media and commentator links.