Search Not Found: Google Prepares To Exit China
Over the past week, as negotiations between Google and the government of China hit an apparent deadend, the search giant has reportedly finalized its plans to exit the world's largest Internet market.
According to a Financial Times report Saturday, "Google has drawn up detailed plans for the closure of its Chinese search engine and is now '99.9 per cent' certain to go ahead as talks over censorship with the Chinese authorities have reached an apparent impasse, according to a person familiar with the company's thinking."
This came roughly 24 hours after China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Li Yizhong, was quoted as issuing this threat: "I hope Google can respect Chinese rules and regulations. If you insist on taking this action that violates Chinese laws, I repeat: you are unfriendly and irresponsible, and you yourself will have to bear the consequences."
Up until these developments, I thought there might be enough wiggle room for the two sides to avoid the outcome that now appears inevitable.
That's because there appeared to be a middle ground for both parties to denounce the hacking incident that was cited by Google as the original predication for its challenge in mid-January over human rights and censorship in China on somebody other than Chinese government authorities.
But, sources close to Google have steadily told me that the founders, especially Sergey Brin, would never blink first in this high-profile standoff with the world's most populous country.
But this confrontation pits the Internet culture of unrestricted freedom of information against China's model of tight state control over its citizens' access to information. So, in a real sense, the overall development of a global system of inter-connected communications tying people together all over the world is now grinding to a potential halt in Beijing.
The way forward, for global Internet culture, is not exactly clear.
For Google's part, the company has made itself clear. In case you maintain any doubts where the search giant stands, check out an official company blog post from March 11th entitled "Recognizing courage, securing online freedom."
After noting that Google and/or YouTube have been blocked in 25 nations, the company announced it had sponsored the first "Netizen Prize" in Paris, which was awarded to Reporters Without Borders. While this group was recognized for its work opposing censorship in Iran, the global nature of the message sent by Google was unambiguous.
At the award ceremony in Google's Paris office, Senior Vice President David Drummond pinpointed the current, critical juncture for the future of the Internet: "All of us have a choice. We can allow repressive policies to take flight and spread across the globe, or we can work together against such challenges and uphold the fundamental human right to free expression." Apparently, Google is willing to bear the costs associated with following the latter path.
Related BNET clips:
Feb. 26 Google in China: Too Big to Fail?
"Six weeks after they exchanged fighting words over censorship and the prospect that Google will leave China, the world's largest search engine and the world's largest country have fallen strangely silent -- a condition that leads me to suspect a deal may be in the works..."
http://industry.bnet.com/media/10006854/google-in-china-too-big-to-fail/?tag=shell;content
Jan. 12 Google Throws Down the Gauntlet in China Over Human Rights and Censorship "In one of the most stunning developments in its remarkable 11-year history, Google (GOOG) today announced that it is prepared to shut down operations in the world's largest country, China, unless the Chinese government ends its censorship of search results there..."
image: sft_India