In an extraordinary move, Google has announced that it will no longer censor search results in China and that this may well lead to the closure of its google.cn web site site and offices in the country.
According to Reuters, Google said yesterday that it had detected “highly sophisticated” cyber-attacks in mid-December on the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists, and that at least 20 other large companies from a wide range of businesses have also been similarly targeted.
The decision opens the door for China to boot Google out of the country, which will in turn no doubt lead to a renewed debate over the battle of censorship and degree of mass government oppression in China.
It is unlikely that China will permit Google to run the search engine unfiltered hence expulsion is a very real possibility.
From a business perspective, it is an interesting corporate move, as Google’s decision effectively places the ball in China’s court. Should China refuse to allow Google’s search engine to operate unfiltered this will place the responsibility for the company’s withdrawal clearly at China’s feet.
On the other hand, if China concedes to Google, which is unlikely, this will be viewed as a tremendous victory for free speech. This is smart posturing on Google’s part.
Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights in China says that Google’s decision reflects the perils of doing business with China.
“It’s a wakeup call for the international community about the risks of doing business in China. The tendency has been for companies to keep their eye just on the benefits of doing business. But the risks are real — The risks are to our intellectual property. The risks are to our values” she said.
It’s also a wake up call for the Rudd Government and Stephen Conroy’s plans for an Internet Filter in Australia.
The decision does not send a reassuring message to the Government that it would be a compliant participant in its Internet Filtering scheme, and may lead to a similar confrontation with the Australian Government.
If such a scenario were to eventuate, surely this would signal the death knell for Conroy’s plan.
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