Google's about turn in China

BBC News - Google's about turn in China

via e-mail from Students for a Free Tibet

Google, the largest Internet search engine and one the world's most influential corporations, has announced that it would stop censoring search results in China. The decision came after Google discovered 'highly sophisticated and targeted attacks' on its corporate infrastructure from China. Dozens of Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China were also targeted by the cyber attacks.

The statement on Google's official blog reads: "We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all."

Just hours after this statement was issued, journalists in Beijing were reporting that the censors had been lifted, a move that may result in Google.cn being shut down by the Chinese government and Google withdrawing from China altogether.

Four years ago, when Google created Google.cn, a custom-built search platform that adhered to Beijing's cyber restrictions, SFT publicly opposed the move. SFT members organized protests at Google offices worldwide, including at their headquarters in Mountainview, California. We also launched the 'No Luv for Google Campaign' and initiated an online boycott of the search engine. More than 12,000 people agreed to "break up" with Google on Valentine's Day. Watch an entertaining video of the Google "break up" in New York.

Thank you to everyone who took action opposing Google.cn in 2006 - your emails, phone calls, and faxes made a difference.

Google's decision to stand up to Beijing is a landmark victory for freedom of expression, freedom of information, human rights, and the Tibet movement and is likely to have implications for other western companies operating in China.

Let this be a wake-up call to corporations and political leaders everywhere: colluding with Beijing's repressive policies does not bring about positive change or greater freedoms in China and Tibet. As we applaud Google's breakup with Beijing, we call on other companies and governments to also stand up to the Chinese government's tyranny.