Google Fights China, Will Yahoo and Microsoft Follow?

01-14-2010 • Wired.com

After years of having its search engine blocked by China’s firewall, Google entered the Chinese market in 2006, agreeing to censor its search results so long as it could note on the search result page that it had done so. Google was betting that a strategy of engagement would encourage China to open up and that providing Chinese users with some results was better than nothing.

3 Comments in Response to Google Fights China, Will Yahoo and Microsoft Follow?

Comment by Powell Gammill

Entered on: 1/14/2010 6:15:40 PM

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html

Comment by foundZero

Entered on: 1/14/2010 11:21:03 AM

This is an interesting battle. I'm not ready to believe this is a pricipled stand on Google's part as they (and Yahoo) have rolled over on Chinese activists in the past.

The Chinese hacker cadres offer the Chinese government near complete deniabilty and they operate against USA interests all the time. Google knows this, everybody knows this.

Google also knew, everybody that does business on the web in China (I do) knows the informational restrictions are severe. There's a very long list of things, people, concepts, words you don't want to talk about.

Google made a Faustian bargain to get in along with everybody else. And Google has to know this is a fight they will loose.They HAVE to have know how this would play in the Chinese psychology. This is a huge FAIL. There's not even a game here.

Either they realize they are doomed in China in terms of marketshare longterm (which they are and have been for years now) and are throwing in the towel, using this situation for leverage out of contractual obligations or there's something else going on here.

Comment by Lucky Red

Entered on: 1/14/2010 10:56:11 AM

Or better yet, why doesn't the US bomb 'em? Lord knows there are enough bombs to go around these days

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