Google may withdraw from China altogether. For more info:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html

To sum things up: When Google entered the Chinese market, they accepted some degree of censorship, but recently things have changed.

There have been some attempts to hack into Google's private information, originating from China. Specifically, attempts to get information on human rights activists.

These attacks have more-or-less failed, however while looking at this, Google learned that it was much more broad, and other service providers have been compromised and had their information accessed. Notably, critics of the Chinese government have had their private emails accessed.

Whilst the Chinese government hasn't been directly accused, they're being asked for an explanation, which ain't yet forthcoming. Hillary Clinton's backing the calls.

Anyhow, now Google's saying they're not going to accept censorship any more, and they're going to discuss this with the government. They say they know this might mean pulling out of China.

Google has about 30% of the market share in China, with the majority going to local provider Baidu. Still, that's a sizable chunk of the fastest-growing group of internet users.

My questions are:

1) Do you think Google will go through with this?
2) Is this going to harm Google financially?
3) Do Google deserve kudos for taking a principle stand?

And most importantly:

4) Is this the best way forward? By leaving a monopoly situation, might they be making things worse?

In any case, I'm enthralled. This is fascinating stuff. Brinkmanship at its pointiest high-stakes edge.

Was having this very discussion this morning on Twitter.

I think Google is good for the Chinese people no matter how watered down it might be. I believe the English version of Google.cn isn't state controlled, only content is via blocking pages. There are ways around that.

Without Google being there the people of China would be worse off, IMO.

Do Google owe the people of China anything?. No, they are a business and have been combating CONSTANT cyber attacks from "whoever" with agenda inside China. I would bail if it was my decision.

Google being "harmed" by pulling out of China isn't a word I'd use for it. I think they are more than profitable and will continue to be so.

I read they make little money there. China is a different society, they will change if and when they want to. West has no moral authority.

TheMissus, with all due respect, that's crap.

I could just as easily say "Zimbabwe will change, if and when it wants to. It is a different society. The west has no moral authority".

The problem with post-modernist, the-west-is-so-evil claptrap like this, is that in effect, all it does it give carte-blanche to non western groups to be as evil as they want.

That's the total sum of it. Do whatever the hell you want, because I refuse to condemn anything.

Which, I humbly submit, is crap. It's not recognising the faults of the west (which I do) it's just passing the buck, and giving up any responsibility.

Dear TRTL,

Do I think Google will go through with this?

Yes. They've tried negotiations with the
Chinese Government in the past regarding
unfiltered searches if they stayed within
the laws of the country all to no avail.
Google agreed to some censorship as required
By the Chinese Government - but it apparently
wasn't enough for the Government.

Now after this last fiasco which occurred in
December with the email accounts of Chinese
human rights activists being targeted - Google
has had enough - and rightly so. They refuse to
continue to be compromised - which is fair
enough.

Is this going to harm Google financially?

No. Even though China is a strategic market
(340 million Chinese online averaging about
$1 billion for Google). China only makes up
1% of Google's earnings globally. They can
afford to lose China.

Does Google deserve kudos for taking a principle
stand?

Yes. Tyranny will only continue to exist for as long
as we allow it. And a good deal of tyranny goes by
the name of protection.

Is this the best way forward?

I don't see what else Google could have done.
They've humoured China, tried talking to them,
negotiating, compromising, nothing worked.
Of course it would be great to allow the Chinese
people to continue to have this "window" on the
world - but when weighing things up - with the
damage that's being done - taking a stand is the
only remaining option. Sometimes, standing up to
a bully is the only choice you have left.

Fingers-crossed it works. China afterall also has a world
image that it wants to maintain - as well as appear as
a modern country - not a cultural backwater - It is to
its advantage to want to keep Google - and its
technology.

TheMissus, with all due respect, that's crap.

Why? We are censored, we have government interference. Now we have You Tube acting as gatekeeper of American entho-centric standards, a type of cultural censorhip all of it's own. It may not censor but by the very fact it doesn't opens any material up to moral judgement by the US media. KFC a perfect example, culturally inoffensive for it's target audience but failed the You Tube censorship board. We must conform to US cultural norms because of it.

Saddam, Oh it was brutal but his ways kept a diverse people together better than our imposed way.

No, it is not crap. Only crap is we keep believing only our way is right.