A new approach to China. Like many other well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident--albeit a significant one--was something quite different. First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses--including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors--have been similarly targeted. We are currently in the process of notifying those companies, and we are also working with the relevant U.S. authorities. Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.
Google and China. Furious Google throws down gauntlet to China over censorship. Well, we've got to hand it to Google—the company's "don't be evil" schtick has long worn thin and governments around the globe are already probing its potential monopoly power, but who else would come out swinging against the entire Chinese government and announce an end to its own collaboration in censorship, all while recognizing that it could lose access to the entire Chinese market? And do it in a blog post? This far but no further The extraordinary announcement came this afternoon: Google has had it with China's pervasive web of censorship and spying, and the company is done censoring its search results in China. The decision wasn't made in a vacuum, but rather came after years of increasing cyberattacks from the Chinese mainland. A recent, massive infiltration attempt that targeted Google and 20 other tech companies was the final straw. Though Google stops short of naming the Chinese government as the party behind the attacks, the implication is clear.
A history of hacking? Google to Commies: We’ll make censorship illegal. High performance access to file storage Google is working with the US government to try to make it illegal for countries to censor the Internet by using international trade rules. The ad broker’s communications head, Robert Boorstin, told a Media Access Project audience in DC that Google “believes very strongly, as do other companies, that censorship is a trade barrier” and said a number of US government department were working together with the company to make a case to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The idea is that censored search results limit Google’s ability to enjoy fair trade and put local competitors (such as China’s Baidu search engine) at a commercial advantage. The theme of censorship has become a Google favorite in recent months following a major failing out with Beijing after Google accused the Chinese government of trying to hack its systems in order to find information on dissidents.
Google Says U.S., E.U. Should Pressure China on Web Censorship - Censuur schendt handelsverdragen. 15 jun. 2010 door Jasper Bakker Google+ Nieuws - Google stelt dat staatscensuur een schending is van handelsverdragen. Het lobbyt bij de VS, de EU en de WTO tegen webcensuur door landen als China en Vietnam. Die internationale overeenkomsten voor de uitwisseling van goederen en diensten tussen landen verbieden het opwerpen van kunstmatige handelsbarrières. Censuur vormt zo'n belemmering, argumenteert Google. Dat beperkt de zoekmachine en advertentiemakelaar in zijn bedrijfsvoering en geeft lokale spelers, zoals Baidu in China, een oneerlijk voordeel. Via WTO spelen De internetreus werkt op dit moment samen met een aantal departementen van de Amerikaanse overheid om deze zaak aanhangig te maken bij de Wereld Handelsorganisatie (WTO).
Ook Vietnam, Australië Google richt zich niet alleen op China. An update on China. Update July 9: We are very pleased that the government has renewed our ICP license and we look forward to continuing to provide web search and local products to our users in China. (original post)Ever since we launched Google.cn, our search engine for mainland Chinese users, we have done our best to increase access to information while abiding by Chinese law. This has not always been an easy balance to strike, especially since our January announcement that we were no longer willing to censor results on Google.cn. We currently automatically redirect everyone using Google.cn to Google.com.hk, our Hong Kong search engine. This redirect, which offers unfiltered search in simplified Chinese, has been working well for our users and for Google. That’s a prospect dreaded by many of our Chinese users, who have been vocal about their desire to keep Google.cn alive.
As a company we aspire to make information available to users everywhere, including China. Google in 'new approach' on China. 29 June 2010Last updated at 08:56 The new landing page offers a link to unfiltered results Google has announced a "new approach" in China as it battles with Beijing over censorship. Until recently, the firm had been redirecting search inquiries in China to its unfiltered site in Hong Kong to get round censorship issues. Google has said it will now stop this after Beijing warned it could lose its licence to operate in the country. Users will instead be directed to a "landing page" on its Chinese site with a link to access the Hong Kong page.
Google said it was hopeful that this would allow it to continue operating in China. However, BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones said there was no guarantee the Chinese authorities would accept the new arrangement. 'Sophisticated attack' Google announced the changes one day before its Internet Content Provider (ICP) licence - necessary to operate in the country - was due to expire. Continue reading the main story Analysis. Google preparing for possibility that its site could go dark in. Google said today in a blog post that its attempt to strike a balance between providing free information and abiding by Chinese law isn’t working. Since it decided not to censor results on Google.cn in January, the company has been automatically redirecting Chinese users to Google.com.hk, the company’s Hong Kong search engine.
The redirect has worked well from Google’s point of view and from the point of view of its users. But not for the authorities. “It’s clear from our conversations we have had with the Chinese government that they find the redirect unacceptable — and that if we continue redirecting users our Internet Content Provider license will not be renewed. Without a license, we can’t operate a commercial web site like Google.cn — so Google would effectively go dark in China,” wrote David Drummond, senior vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer.
The license is up for renewal on June 30. Google Backs Down Further From China Exit. We knew it would be one of the big stories of the year, and today the ‘Google vs the Chinese government’ story has taken another twist. Back in January, Google won praise from many in the west by making a stand against alleged hacking of the Gmail accounts of human rights activists in China, an action possibily carried out by the Chinese government itself. The company considered pulling out of the Chinese market all together if it was not allowed to operate censorship free in the communist state. Instead, Google ended up taking a ‘half way house’ approach by simply redirected its search traffic to Google Hong Kong, thereby allowing Google users in China to see information about the 1989 Tianenmen Square massacre among other banned topics. In a post just published over at the comapny’s official blog, Google appears to be backing down even further over its threatened exit from China.
China confirms Google licence renewal | Technology | guardian.co. China has renewed Google's licence to operate in the country, the search giant announced today. Writing on the company blog, chief legal officer David Drummond said: "We are very pleased that the government has renewed our ICP license and we look forward to continuing to provide web search and local products to our users in China. " Google – which has a 30% market share of Chinese search traffic – recently began directing Google.cn visitors to its uncensored Hong Kong site, saying the new approach ensured it stayed true to a commitment not to censor searches from internet users in China. Relations with authorities in China have been strained since Google said it no longer wanted to cooperate with government internet censorship.
The announcement was prompted by cyber attacks the company traced to China. Google stunned markets and consumers in January when it warned it might quit the country, saying it would not provide the censored search results that China requires. Why China won and Google lost. Forget the fig leaf of the Hong Kong work-around. China beat down Google, because Google got no support from its government for uncensored search. Chief legal officer David Drummond confirmed the news in a brief update to his June 28 blog post describing the Hong Kong move. CEO Eric Schmidt crowed at a CEO conference yesterday he was "confident" Google would "win" renewal of its license to operate, and it did. But here's the deal. The Google.cn home page now offers only a link to its "uncensored" Hong Kong site, but those searches are easily traced and China's firewall can then censor the results. Services other than search are still run out of China.
No Google user searching in the Chinese language can thus access information about anything the government decides, on its whim, the people should not know about. The company's fate was sealed in March, when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the issue was "really between Google and China. "