Google vs China: The Censorship War

Next time you’re in Beijing and find yourself in a heated debate over song titles or looking for the name of “that one” restaurant, you might not be able to turn to a trusted favorite to resolve the issue. That’s because Google, the world’s most popular Internet search engine, may be shutting down its operations in China.

In response to recent assaults by cyberhackers, Google has announced it will no longer cooperate with Chinese censorship of its site. The Internet giant may shut down in China altogether, leaving the country Google-less, and travelers without the reliable resource.

Google and China have done a delicate dance since 2006, filled with more wooing and rebuffing than a middle-school dance. Smitten by China’s 300 million Internet users, Google came into China under the auspices of adhering to censorship. The company, eager to get a foothold in the vast market, agreed to omit search results of banned topics in China. The decision caused the company to come under public scrutiny. Increasingly tight restrictions on information Google was allowed to make available to Chinese users led to internal turmoil as well; executives saw a disparity between censorship and the company’s official motto, “Don’t be evil.”

The final straw came, however, in the form of high-level hacking. The attacks, which Google officials believe originated in China, were aimed at Silicon Valley companies as well as the Gmail user accounts of Chinese human rights activists. The scope of the attacks remains unknown, but Google’s response is firm: it’s done trying to win over the popular kid.

Over the next few weeks, Google and the Chinese government will be discussing ways for company to operate with unfiltered search results that remain within the law. If a compromise isn’t struck, Google will pack its bags and fly home. It would prove a highly unusual rebuke for the Chinese government, who is accustomed to international companies adjusting to its norms.

What does this mean for the traveler to China? In the event Google leaves, you’ll be without your most trusted, go-to Internet resource-a quick answer to any question that arises on the road. But you won’t be totally search-less; Chinese-run companies like Baidu will fill the void. Just don’t expect to get any results of “Dalai Lama.”

{Photo: Googlisti]