Google Redirects Traffic To Avoid Kazakh Demands

pbahra writes "Google has rejected attempts by the Kazakh government 'to create borders on the web' and has refused a demand to house servers in the country after an official decree that all Internet domains ending with the domain suffix for Kazakhstan be domestically based. Bill Coughran, Google senior vice president said in his blog that from now on, Google will redirect users that visit google.kz to google.com in Kazakh: 'We find ourselves in a difficult situation: creating borders on the web raises important questions for us not only about network efficiency but also about user privacy and free expression. If we were to operate google.kz only via servers located inside Kazakhstan, we would be helping to create a fractured Internet.' Mr. Coughran said that unfortunately, it would mean that Kazakh users would have a poorer experience as results would no longer be customized for the former Soviet republic."

Comments

wow, what a lot of bullshit by Google

[Hazel Bergeron]

'We find ourselves in a difficult situation: creating borders on the web

Like the one Google cooperated with in China. Of course, kz isn't quite so lucrative a market so it's easier not to respect local law.

raises important questions for us not only about network efficiency

The elephant in the room being the cloud, where you transfer your data half way around the world where previously a few centimetres would have been sufficient.

but also about user privacy

This one's too easy.

and free expression.

See top.

If we were to operate google.kz only via servers located inside Kazakhstan, we would be helping to create a fractured Internet.'

Sorry? Are your servers routers now? There's nothing I'd love more than a .notUS domain which guarantees that none of my endpoints are in that horribly snoopy country - perhaps kz could increase its visibility by making the only kz requirement that a kz server isn't in the US or one of the US de facto protectorates?

Mr. Coughran said that unfortunately, it would mean that Kazakh users would have a poorer experience as results would no longer be customized for the former Soviet republic.

And this coup de grace is as fallacious as, "She deserved it, she was wearing slutty clothing." No-one's forcing you to customise results according precisely as TLD - that's your choice. If one sovereign nation chooses to have particular rules for its TLD, that is its right. You might like to own the Internet and you sure do love poking your fingers in standards which have nothing to do with you... but it's not yours yet, so fuck off with your preachy bullshit.