Poll: Breaking News: Google ceases censorship in China

[Natima]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8581393.stm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/22/AR2010032202041.html

Google has stopped censoring its search results in China, ignoring warnings by the country's authorities.

The US company said its Chinese users would be redirected to the uncensored pages of its Hong Kong website.

In January, Google had complained about a "sophisticated cyber attack originating from China".

Chinese government officials had warned Google repeatedly that it would face consequences if it did not comply with the country's censorship rules.

Hopefully they won't come to some sort of business arrangement.
According to the Washington Post, they also plan to make publicly available any attempts by the Chinese government to enforce censorship.

 

[Tr Insanity]

Edit: After reading into it a bit more I'm not sure. Surely this is almost certainly breaking laws?

 

[Duke]

Personally I'm against this. Although I'd like China to be more open and things, you can't just go there and start going against their laws and restrictions. We moan about others coming here and doing the same thing..

 

[Biohazard]

Personally I'm against this. Although I'd like China to be more open and things, you can't just go there and start going against their laws and restrictions. We moan about others coming here and doing the same thing..

this.

dumb move I feel.

toys out of pram, well done google.

 

[Tefal]

So a US company should comply with the Chinese governments wants?

if it wants to make money in china yes.

Just like shock horror Chinese companies have to adhere to uk/euro standards for electronics!

 

[Kol]

I'm 50/50 on it also. Whilst I don't agree with censorship, google are in no position to be going against China. In any case, won't the Chinese government/ISPs just block google?

 

[Fegruson]

Risky tbh.

 

[Biohazard]

I'm 50/50 on it also. Whilst I don't agree with censorship, google are in no position to be going against China. In any case, won't the Chinese government/ISPs just block google?

If I were the chinese/CPC, I'd certainly be considering that right now.

 

[Monkeynut]

Is there not a good chance the workers in China will be threatened/beaten up/locked up?

 

[tbs]

Is there not a good chance the workers in China will be threatened/beaten up/locked up?

Dont think its up to the Chinese Google to do that, I think its the American HQ thats ordering of things, which is breaking the law.

 

[Feef]

Doubt they'd go that far, the average employee has no say over Google's policy - but it does now appear to have been blocked in China, so not sure how much longer they'll be in a job anyway..

Edit/ Should point out, it's blocked in Shanghai, as far as I can see. Their filtering often varies from city to city, until they all catch up.

 

[meghatronic]

Chinese government opens hosts file and redirects google to www.gov.cn

And the world carries on.

 

[Macro]

Personally I'm against this. Although I'd like China to be more open and things, you can't just go there and start going against their laws and restrictions. We moan about others coming here and doing the same thing..

Quite agree whatever my own personal feelings about censorship are.

 

[rypt]

Correct move by Google, +1

 

[Feef]

Hm, Xinhua (state news agency) is now carrying a story saying that the Chinese people see Google's arrogance as similar to that of the Western armies who turned up in the 19th century and forced them to sign unequal treaties. Not quite the same thing..

 

[starfighter]

excellent work by Google, The Chinese government are a bunch of undemocratic evil people. As our government doesn't seem to care it is nice that Google does.

 

[SiriusB]

Are you saying our government should have uncensored China's Internet?

 

[Biohazard]

Are you saying our government should have uncensored China's Internet?

I don't get his statement either but I wasn't going to comment yet..

 

[trent]

What right do google have to break the laws of china? What if people from countries where the legal age of consent is younger then 16 believe that there laws are morally right. Is it acceptable for tourists to come to the UK and sleep with 14 year olds freeing them from there sexual cages we imprison them in until there 16 years old.

 

[Biohazard]

What right do google have to break the laws of china?

Absolutely none.

Does two wrongs make a right?

Absolutely not.