Google Considers Pulling Out Of China
In what must be one of the biggest global internet industry stories for some time, Google announced on its blog that it was considering pulling its google.cn domain, due to privacy and human right concerns.What triggered this off was a security compromise at google.cn HQ recently, where hackers attempted to gain entry into the Gmail servers that house the accounts of human right activists. Despite the fact that the hacks were unsuccessful, Google concluded that they were coming from the Chinese government, and were greatly displeased.
Google's response to this has been to suspend its censorship on its google.cn domain, something that Google has wanted to do since day one, but have always felt the need to placate the Chinese authorities, and go for the cash. Now, with the security breach attempted, Google are bowing down to China no longer and are saying, "Ban us if you like."
It’s a clever move by Google. They are asserting themselves against a regime that is known for human rights abuses, but by doing this they are offering the Chinese government a choice they probably don't want to make - to ban Google.
China most likely likes to keep Google live in its country, but under their terms; it makes them look like they are a free country, accepting of western influences. Without Google, they could damage their reputation amongst the international community, and be seen as a fascist and illiberal regime.
It remains to see whether Beijing calls Google's bluff and deprives the world's leading search engine operations in the world's largest country.
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