It seems that Google has busted the Chinese government in cyber attacks on Google meant to gather info on anti-Chinese-govt free speach activists, and now Google is pissed. They've decided censoring search results on the Chinese version of Google is something they're no longer willing to do.
From the official google blog:
These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered—combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web—have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html
I heard about this.
ReplyDeleteGreat news.
Eat it, fascists!
whoa. google does something good. neat.
ReplyDeletei heard a google rep on npr yesterday. unsuprisingly he was very vague about when, how, and more or less *if* they were really going to do this. i've a sense they may just be posturing. he wouldn't be pinned down about anything: they'll stop censoring "relatively soon", "we'll pull out unless we do something else."
ReplyDeletewhen asked if google hadn't already compromised their free speech ethics by setting up in China in the first place, and agreeing to censor search content he said he "didn't see it that way". sounds like bullshit to me.
Yeah, it seems Google may be backpedaling at an embarrassing rate. Guess they were only mad enough to wear their big girl panties for 24 hours.
ReplyDelete