Recently it has come to Google’s attention that China has been launching cyber-attack on it’s google.cn (Google China). In attempts to read the emails of activists for Chinese human rights, it appears that the Chinese government has hacked into various gmail accounts. Reprecussions are sure to follow by Google, as they should, and may be as severe as a complete withdrawal of Google from China.
Google has decided to stop censoring results that turn up on its search engines in China. This move will certainly infuriate Chinese government who have worked hard to censor anything, and everything that they do not want their population to view. If Google decides to pull out of operation in China, they may influence many other websites and companies in China to do the same.
I personally believe that Google should pull out of China. The infractions of the Chinese government should not be tolerated and forcing censorship over results is completely ridiculous. By giving in to the Chinese censor demands, Google is giving in to authoritarian Chinese control and is ultimately forgetting American morals. It is Google’s responsibility as an American company to not condone such illegal activity and pull out of China. If Google can do this, they may encourage other companies to do so. If this happens, it will certainly effect both China’s economy and their foreign relations. If China is then put in the spotlight, they may be forced to reconsider some of their authoritarian practices.
Google’s Blog Regarding the Issue
Economist Article on the Issue
