China: MSN users locked out, speak out · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Things have definitely been getting worse for users of MSN services in China since Microsoft recently shifted its Passport login process to Live.com. Following Global Voices Online blogger Frank Dai's post on this problem two weeks ago, a number of MSN Messenger, Hotmail and MSN Spaces users have started speaking up.
Wen Yunchao—who provides on his MSN Spaces blog, Ramblings of a Drunk, a weekly roundup of all net-based things censored and Chinese—posted recently what he has learned from MSN PR folks and his friends working in IT:
网事一周20060511：异常
MSN Messenger登陆异常
从5月8日以来，MSN Messenger无法登录、随时掉线等故障在北京及国内部分城市同时出现。业内人士称，“这种非暂时性的、范围如此之大的服务瘫痪，在MSN进入中国后尚属首次。”MSN相关负责人表示，出现的故障与MSN提供的服务没有任何关系，“主要原因是本地网络接入设备出现问题。MSN目前已经开始调查这个问题，会尽快解决。”MSN Messenger目前在中国有超过1000万的用户，且服务器仍在国外，通讯内容却没有受到中国有关部门的监管，MSN Messenger的异常及近期MSN SPACES的访问不畅，难免引发诸多联想。
Fellow MSN Spaces blogger Tate King posts a more personal perspective:
5月13日
这是为什么
MSN好久没能上了，有些想写的没写下来。听说是LIVE.COM被可爱的D给封了。好不容易找到一个敏感字不多的地方，伟大光荣正确的D就是不让俺们用。人民群众拥护的，他们就要反对。人民群众反对的，他们就坚决拥护。这究竟是为什么！！
As lamented on his Sina blog, even singer, racecar driver, post-80s teen author sensation and bluechip blogger Han Han is having MSN trouble these days:
为什么永远无法登陆MSN？出来一行字，说，抱歉，无法登陆到XXX，请稍后再试，如有疑问，XXX，为什么？WHY？外？