Two months after threatening to stop self-censoring its search engine in China, Google announced it was shutting down its Internet search service in mainland China. The California-based company, a global leader in technology, said Chinese users of google.cn would be redirected to an uncensored version of its search engine that is hosted on servers in Hong Kong. Although Hong Kong is part of China, it operates under different laws, particularly for businesses.
Web users in China encounter routine censorship, especially if searching for topics considered “controversial” by the government. Chinese authorities consider Google’s anti-censorship move a breach of contract, and some observers say it is a gamble that may backfire on the company. In defying Beijing’s regulators, Google may end up locked out of the world’s largest Internet market. However, Google hopes to retain its other operations in China, which include Internet ad sales, mobile phones, Web browsers, and e-mail.
Some analysts claim the Chinese government needs Google to keep doing business in China. The nation works to portray itself as a more open society than in the past, although Chinese Internet policy limits free speech and deletes or censors information about democracy and human rights issues. If Google were forced to pull out entirely, the country’s public relations image might be further damaged. Chinese companies might also suffer if they could no longer buy search advertising from Google, thereby limiting their global reach.
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