Google Stops Censoring in China

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.

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

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.

Google Inc. stopped censoring the Internet for China by shifting its search engine off the mainland Monday but said it will maintain other operations in the country. The maneuver attempts to balance Google's disdain for China's Internet rules with the company's desire to profit from an explosively growing market.

With negotiations at an impasse in the high-profile showdown that has escalated tensions between China and the United States, Google Inc.

Sol Palha submits:After issuing many threats that it would pull out of China, Google (GOOG) was left with little wiggle room, and it looked like they had backed themselves into a tight corner. It was a given that the Chinese government would not cave into their demands. Doing so would have made them look weak not only among their people but also to the rest of the world.