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Google walking the fence in China...


Guest ShaQuaNew

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Guest ShaQuaNew

Seems Google wants to have it's cake, and eat it too. On the one hand, they want to please Chinese censors so that they can keep the business. On the other, they don't want anyone in America to know about it.

 

Google's censorship struggles continue in China

 

(CNET) -- Google was going to help democratize data in China. Instead, about three years after entering the Middle Kingdom, the search company still finds itself in an uncomfortable working relationship with government censors.

 

For eight days between June 3 and June 11, Google.cn blocked results for Tianamen Square.

 

For about eight days between June 3 and June 11, Google.cn blocked all results that might come from searches for Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

 

Not just politically sensitive results, not just historical accounts of the hundreds of deaths on June 4, 1989, but every single result -- including directions to the square -- with an error message that read "Search results can not be displayed as they may contain contents that do not comply to related laws and policy."

 

As of Thursday, things had appeared to return to normal. A search for "Tiananmen Square" in either English or Chinese brought up links to shops in the area, historical documents about one of China's most storied places, and images of fun, happy times in downtown Beijing.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/16/cne...uare/index.html

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Guest ShaQuaNew

Didn't Yahoo also go through this and get nailed in the USA press about doing the same thing ..??

 

When in Rome do as the Romans do ...

 

Don't we do this ... do as our wife says but try to make our friends believe we are king of the house ... :)

 

Yes, I think Yahoo also tried the fence walking routine. The guys in these business offices really are facing a two-faced challenge. On the one hand, they want to pander to the US press, and prevent any story from leaking that they have anything at all to do with censorship. On the other, they don't want to lose the business in China, or other countries that do actively censor.

 

Do you think this new found technique we are hearing about in Washington about not meddling in the foreign affairs of other countries will work?

 

Me either.

:(

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