Google Stops Censoring in China

Google says it has stopped censoring its search results in China, setting itself up for a confrontation with the country's authorities.

Every big American Internet company is angling for the same thing, more or less: global domination. But the one country where they have the most potential for growth also has some of the most entrenched competition and thorniest human rights issues. The battle for China’s 618 million Internet users is fraught with moral and logistical problems that have sent Twitter, Facebook and Google all packing in recent years.

Every big American Internet company is angling for the same thing, more or less: global domination. But the one country where they have the most potential for growth also has some of the most entrenched competition and thorniest human rights issues. The battle for China’s 618 million Internet users is fraught with moral and logistical problems that have sent Twitter, Facebook and Google all packing in recent years.

I went to China at the end of November and found something unexpected: complete Internet freedom. Before arriving,  one frequent visitor to the country warned me to be ready for a strange experience. He said that as soon as I landed, I would be in a world where I could no longer check Twitter and Instagram on my phone all the time. He said both services are blocked by the government.

Michael Johnston submits:Google (GOOG), the California-based search engine giant, made good on its promise to stop censoring results in China on Monday evening, upping the stakes in its showdown with the Chinese government.

SINGAPORE/BEIJING: Google Inc CEO Sundar Pichai has made no secret that he wants to get back into China via Google Play, the app store for its Android mobile operating system. But it's unlikely to be a smooth ride. Google largely pulled its services out of China five years ago after refusing to continue self-censoring its search results. Since then, it has maintained a limited presence in the world's biggest Internet market, but most of its services, including Play, have been rendered borderline inaccessible.

REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Access to Gmail in China was difficult, but not impossible. Workarounds including Outlook, Apple Mail, and third-party Gmail hosts.Starting last Friday, the "Great Firewall" became impenetrable as China’s Censors Took Final Step in Blocking Gmail. In the six months since Google’s mail service Gmail was blocked in mainland China, users had been able to access it using third-party email applications such as Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail.