The Chinese government is fond of two things -- keeping America in debt and censorship. So in the lead-up to Thursday's 20th anniversary for the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the guys in the suits are shutting down social-networking sites like Twitter, YouTube and Flickr in an attempt to stifle any dissent that the anniversary may bring about.

Find out why this is a smart move after the jump.

Shutting down Web sites at controversial times is not a new tactic for Beijing, but this the first time they've taken to social-networking sites.

Which is a good idea, since Twitter and Facebook were the driving forces behind recent protests against fraudulent elections in Moldova. Those goofy tax day tea parties? Organized on social-networking sites. Guatemalan protests against the assassination of an anti-government attorney? Organized on Twitter. San Francisco anti-war protests? Twitter again. Prop 8 opposition rallies and anti-militant marches in Pakistan? Facebook.

Anonymous, well-populated and accessible, these kinds of sites are fast becoming the new hub of civil unrest. The revolution may not be televised, but will it be tweeted?