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Google censors itself for China
Leading internet company Google
has said it will censor its search
services in China in order to gain
greater access to China's
fast-growing market.
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Google admits
censorship is inconsistent with
its mission |
Google has offered a
Chinese-language version of its
search engine for years but users
have been frustrated by government
blocks on the site.
The company is setting up a new site
- Google.cn - which it will censor
itself to satisfy the authorities in
Beijing.
Google argued it would be more
damaging to pull out of China
altogether.
Critics warn the new version could
restrict access to thousands of
sensitive terms and web sites. Such
topics are likely to include
independence for Taiwan and the 1989
Tiananmen Square massacre.
The Chinese government keeps a tight
rein on the internet and what users
can access. The BBC news site is
inaccessible, while a search on
Google.cn for the banned Falun Gong
spiritual movement directs users to
a string of condemnatory articles.
Google's move in
China comes less than a week after
it resisted efforts by the US
Department of Justice to make it
disclose data on what people were
searching for.
Google has lost ground to Beijing-based web
search company Baidu
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Google hopes its new address will make the search
engine easier to use and quicker.
Its e-mail, chat room and blogging services will
not be available because of concerns the government
could demand users' personal information.
Google said it planned to notify users when access
had been restricted on certain search terms.
The company argues it can play a more useful role
in China by participating than by boycotting it,
despite the compromises involved.
"While removing search results is
inconsistent with Google's mission, providing no
information (or a heavily degraded user experience
that amounts to no information) is more inconsistent
with our mission," a statement said.
Julian Pain, internet spokesman for campaign group
Reporters Without Borders, said Google's decision to "collaborate"
with the Chinese government was "a real shame".
The number of internet search users in China is
predicted to increase from about 100 million currently
to 187 million in two years' time
The number of internet search users in China is
predicted to increase from about 100 million currently
to 187 million in two years' time.
A survey last August revealed Google was losing market
share to Beijing-based rival Baidu.com.
Last year, Yahoo was accused of supplying data to
China that was used as evidence to jail a Chinese
journalist for 10 years.
BBC 25.01.2006 |
