iTunes users in China complained they had been unable to download music since Monday, and advocacy groups claim that Beijing was trying to block access to Apple's music service in order to prevent downloads of a new Tibet-themed album. The album “Songs for Tibet,” a benefit for The Art of Peace Foundation, features songs by Sting, Alanis Morissette, Garbage and others, and a 15-minute talk by the Dalai Lama.

It appears that over 40 Olympic athletes downloaded the album in an act of solidarity with the Tibetans' cause, which in turn annoyed Chinese authorities who blocked access to iTunes. The athletes received free downloads of the album from The Art of Peace Foundation, and the organization says that athletes from the United States, Canada, Britain, Spain, France and Australia did download it from iTunes.

Chinese users must connect to servers in other markets, because iTunes is not officially supported in China. Apple did not want to comment on whether it was a technical glitch or a move on the part of the censors. Apple tech support told a forum user that accessing the U.S. iTunes store outside of the geographic region of the United States is not supported, and doing so is at one's own risk.

Meanwhile, China.org, the government's official Internet Information Center, alleges that citizens found the album offensive and called for a boycott of all Apple products, including the iPhone, which is not yet officially available in China but nevertheless widespread.