Google,China and censorship
Patrick Miner
Issue date: 1/29/10 Section: Opinions & Editorials
Two global powers, one the largest Internet company and the other the most populous nation, are currently in a heated negotiation-war. Google Inc. announced Jan. 12 that it is considering withdrawing from China, which, with nearly 400 million Internet users, is by far the largest Internet market in the world.
Google, on its official blog, stated: "In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google ... we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists ... 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."
As of press time, Google is in closed-door talks with the PRC government over this issue. An investigation is ongoing as to whether the security breaches were tied to the government. The Chinese Communist Party, of course, denies any involvement. White House spokesperson Bill Burton told reporters that President Obama "continues to be troubled by the cyber-security breach that Google attributes to China ... All we are looking for from China are some answers."
Regarding the matter, Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton released the following statement: "We have been briefed by Google on these allegations, which raise very serious concerns and questions. We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. I will be giving an address next week on the centrality of Internet freedom in the 21st century, and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts become clear."
Google, on its official blog, stated: "In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google ... we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists ... 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."
As of press time, Google is in closed-door talks with the PRC government over this issue. An investigation is ongoing as to whether the security breaches were tied to the government. The Chinese Communist Party, of course, denies any involvement. White House spokesperson Bill Burton told reporters that President Obama "continues to be troubled by the cyber-security breach that Google attributes to China ... All we are looking for from China are some answers."
Regarding the matter, Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton released the following statement: "We have been briefed by Google on these allegations, which raise very serious concerns and questions. We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. I will be giving an address next week on the centrality of Internet freedom in the 21st century, and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts become clear."
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