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Google Bans VPN Ads in China (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

Google has banned ads for virtual private network (VPN) products targeting Chinese users, ZDNet reported on Wednesday. From a report: The company cited "local legal restrictions" as the cause of the VPN ad ban. "It is currently Google Ads policy to disallow promoting VPN services in China, due to local legal restrictions," Google said in an email today. The email was received and shared with ZDNet by VPNMentor, a website offering advice, tips, and reviews of VPN products. The company said Google prevented its employees from placing Google search ads for the Chinese version of its site.

8 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. So what? by Red_Forman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Google complies with local laws". That's it.

    If you have a problem, take it up with the Chinese government.
    Good luck.

    1. Re:So what? by Vinegar+Joe · · Score: 2

      Universal laws, universal moral truths, universal values. When people are oppressed by their governments, it is America's job to intervene and implement regime change. Just like we're doing in Venezuela right now.

      What's that, China doesn't have any oil? Well they can have their own laws then, who cares?

      You're pretty stupid, aren't you?

      --
      "The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
    2. Re: So what? by Type44Q · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's it.

      No, it isn't it; that's never been an excuse. Fuck Google and fuck you.

    3. Re:So what? by Merk42 · · Score: 3, Funny

      But this is Slashdot, we need to be against literally every move Google (and other tech companies) do, even when that move is something we complained about them not doing on a previous article.

  2. Eh? by fubarrr · · Score: 2

    > from placing Google search ads for the Chinese version of its site.

    Google.cn??? Google.cn is just a picture placeholder...

  3. Translation by jenningsthecat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The company cited "local legal restrictions" as the cause of the VPN ad ban.

    In other words, "The Chinese market is too lucrative to risk pissing off the country's rulers, so we're going to go full-on evil in order to curry favour and secure our place at the trough".

    Fuck Google.

    --
    'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
  4. Re:There’s a Chinese version of Google? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Google never left China, it still has several offices in China with hundreds (if not thousands) of employees. Google stopped hosting its Chinese language search engine in China in 2010, but continues to provide advertising services there. Google had revenue of $3B from China in 2018.

  5. Going full Communist by AHuxley · · Score: 2

    An ad company that wont do ads?
    Without a good VPN to escape the controls of a Communist nation:
    No freedom to look up funny political cartoon bear?
    No to services that allow people to find out more about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests?
    No reading about term limits?
    No to reading books and publications from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the USA?
    No to reading news from the real China, Taiwan?
    No 1984 books.

    An ad company selects to go full Communist. An ad brand that is compatible with state censorship provisions.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"