Google Will Continue To Oppose China Censorship

After weeks of back-and-forth negotiations between Internet search giant Google and the Chinese government, Google says it will continue to oppose China’s efforts to censor information on the Internet. For the past several years, Google has censored results on its Google.cn search engine as requested by the Chinese government. But recently, Google decided to pull the plug.

Google’s decision came after a China-based cyberattack that Google said resulted in stolen intellectual property. Two weeks ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt threatened to pull Google’s business out of China if the government did not allow uncensored search results and information. But since then, Schmidt and the government have attempted to find some middle ground.

If it pulls out of China, Google stands to lose its 700 employees in China and anger advertisers. Advertisers may decide to move to Google competitors based in China, such as Baidu and Alibaba Group.

China, however, may have more to lose. China stands to lose its footing toward becoming a world technology leader, and it needs help from companies such as Google and Microsoft.

Pressure Is On

Schmidt reiterated his efforts to stop China’s censorship at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. He said the company plans to apply some pressure to change censorship while still benefiting from what China has to offer the company.

His comments come a week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked U.S. companies to stand their ground against countries that censor information and to protect those who are threatened by countries that stop the free flow of information. Clinton pointed to several countries, including China, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, that have increased Internet censorship.

“The Internet has already been a source of tremendous progress in China, and it is fabulous,” Clinton told an audience at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. “But countries that restrict…

source : www.newsfactor.com

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