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Google To End Google.cn Redirect
shmG writes "Google Inc. has announced a 'new approach' in China after the government said the company could no longer automatically redirect users to the unfiltered Hong Kong site. This gives Baidu Inc., which already has a greater than 60% share in Internet search in China, a chance to expand. It has announced new plans to hire US engineers to enhance its technical skills and propel its growth globally."
Update: 06/29 18:27 GMT by S : Changed the headline to more accurately reflect what Google is doing. They're ending the redirect and applying for a license renewal, so it's still in question whether they'll actually go dark in China. However, they say they're also looking for ways to continue allowing uncensored search, such as putting a high-profile link to their Hong Kong site on the google.cn landing page.
We have therefore been looking at possible alternatives, and instead of automatically redirecting all our users, we have started taking a small percentage of them to a landing page on Google.cn that links to Google.com.hk—where users can conduct web search or continue to use Google.cn services like music and text translate, which we can provide locally without filtering. This approach ensures we stay true to our commitment not to censor our results on Google.cn and gives users access to all of our services from one page.
Over the next few days we’ll end the redirect entirely, taking all our Chinese users to our new landing page—and today we re-submitted our ICP license renewal application based on this approach.
It's kind of funny, the "landing page" is a false image of a search box and when you click anywhere on the page, you go to Google Hong Kong. How this is okay as opposed to a redirect, I'll never know ... and once that page starts eventually taking users to unfiltered results of Tiananmen Square, I think the Chinese Government will take a few more steps to stop it.
Of course it looks like ibtimes has a policy that only allows them to link to more ibtimes sites instead of -- you know -- the original source of all their quotes.
My work here is dung.
I can't wait!
Fuckface Leiberman and his internet kill switch. Government control of citizen access to information. You can bet your bottom yuan that when China starts producing serious IP they'll crack down on p2p. Their weak enforcement of copyright is simply Chinese mercantilism. Why send money overseas to pay for stuff that can be copied for free? Preserve capital at home. Joe Biden would love to have a Great Firewall of America.
Very disgusted with both sides of the issue. If we're not getting screwed by military-industrial complex republicans on one side it's entertainment-industrial complex democrats on the other. I find it encouraging that the one singular point far-left progressives and frothing tea-baggers can agree on is that the politicians and lobbyists trying to kill net neutrality are fucking over the American people. There is agreement on that point at least. Representation at the federal level is limited to the special interests with bucks for lobbying and campaign contributions. Left-wing or right-wing, it doesn't matter which one you are. You don't have money, you can go get fucked. Too big to fail, too little to concerned with.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
Might it be a tad dangerous for any one group to control something so vastly powerful and important as the media, something that all by itself can start wars, end wars, sway elections, and tell people what they should fear?
Might it be a tad dangerous that the media can influence people that severely? Who do you blame...the media for its influence, or the people that allow themselves to be influenced by it?
Living With a Nerd
That's what this reads like, pro-China PR. Bad round-eye company kicked out, good Chinese company on to world domination!
The only thing missing is the agitprop poster of the worker leading the masses to victory.
If the media were not influential it would be replaced by media that was.
Those that sit atop the Kingdom got there because they best understood the current game and won it.
Humans are social creatures, and ultimately a pack animal. I'm beginning to believe that the natural order for humans is in fact some sort of feudal system that has leaders ruling the pack. How the leaders are chosen varies over time but ultimately the Leaders rule the pack.
I say this in the context that it may be inherent in humans to be influenced (by those in [power|control|influential-position]). /.ers fall into some variation of this category.
Further, the more you are a free-thinker, anti/non-social or otherwise a non-conformist the less you are likely to accept this natural order and not only cry out against the injustice of the powerful but wonder why the rest of the people around you don't. And I suspect that most
If you think imaginary property and real property are the same, when does your house become public domain?
How on earth is this considered "going dark"? Google will no longer automatically redirect to .hk, but they're doing that specifically so they stay up in China. What's happening is the opposite of going dark.
To really rub China the wrong way Google should move all "Chinese" operations to Taiwan with a statement that google.cn will still be available in the one bastion of free Chinese, Taiwan.
Tisha Hayes
The reason I was reading comments was so I could find an appropriate one to reply to. As soon as I read this story, I pulled up both Google and Baidu, and translated Baidu. Searching for Tiananmen Square yields nothing about a massacre, and searching Tiananmen Square Massacre only yields FOUR results. FOUR. A couple of them are regarding civilians volunteering to patrol Tiananmen Square for a holiday or something. I am absolutely blown away and until today had no idea just how bad the censorship is. Incredible.