It’s been more than a week since Google announced that they were no longer going to censor search results on Google.cn in response to accusations that Chinese hackers were trying to spy on activists’ Email accounts and steal source code. I was almost expecting the Sino Google apocalypse, but it has not yet happened.
When the story first broke, I was in a state of excitement and anxiety. Call it dysphoria. On one hand, it was amazing to see my favourite web company stand up for free speech against an arrogant emerging superpower. I was also worried that this Google fanboy would lose access to all the tools that make him feel connected to the world inside and outside China. I feared and still fear losing access to Google search, Gmail, Google Calendar, Picasa and Google Reader. I’ve been telling students to get ready by setting up alternative Email addresses and getting used to the idea of using Bing.com as a second choice search engine.
Since then nothing much has happened except for rash speculation about Google’s real agenda throughout blogs, Twitter, podcasts and news sites about the real reason and impact of Google’s announcement on January 12. Here are a number of theories being tossed about:
- Many employees at Google are unhappy about their decision in 2006 to censor search results when they made and agreement with the Chinese government and setup Google.cn. The free speech Google faction was looking for an excuse to get out of China in order to reconcile their ethical free speech motto of ‘Do No Evil’.
- Sergey Brin was particularly unhappy that the Chinese government or patriotic hackers were trying to use Google’s technology to spy on human rights activists and dissidents given that his family originate from the former Soviet Union.
- Google can not trust the Chinese government as a business partner if they spy on them and try to steal Google’s intellectual property.
- Google were using the hacking attack and free speech issues to leave for business reasons given they only had 30 percent of the search market in China compared with Baidu’s 60 percent.
- The Chinese market accounts for only 2 percent of China’s online revenues, but it is also a source of problems in terms of hackers, click fraud and phishing scams. Leaving the market would help to mitigate these issues.
- Leaving China would give Google a huge PR boost as advocates of Internet freedom.
- Google insiders in their Chinese operation helped Chinese hackers with the attack so they need to close Google.cn to maintain security of their systems and customers’ data.
- The incident revealed an embarrassing security flaw, which could reduce confidence in Google as a secure place for Internet users to keep their online data. Blaming the Chinese would point the blame at others rather than put the spotlight on Google’s security failures.
- China wishes to become a large intranet that excludes access to all international sites that have not been issued with a license to be viewed within the Bamboo firewall. Such a move would fracture the Internet. What is good for the Internet is good for Google. What is bad for the Internet is bad for Google. Leaving China is a hardball negotiating tactic to try and keep the Internet whole and complete.
- Google is using their announcement to initiate a foreign policy response from the US government to protect open standards, free speech and American commercial interests overseas.
- Google is showing that modern corporations can operate as quasi states with more clout than sovereign countries, rather like the Dutch East India Company during the colonial era. Notice how the Chinese government gave a muted response to Google’s announcement. Contrast this with the indignation meted out to the UK government’s criticism of Akmal Shaikh’s recent execution for drug smuggling.
So many theories raise more questions than they answer, but it is useful to bring together a list of sources on this issue even if history finally reveals that some of them have speculated falsely.
Google Defends Against Large Scale Chinese Cyber Attack: May Cease Chinese Operations
Google Official Announcement on January 12
Google’s China Stance: More about Business than Thwarting Evil by Sarah Lacy of Techcrunch (January 12)
What Google Should Do by Jeff Jarvis (author of What Would Google Do) (January 12)
Google Puts Its Foot Down by Rebecca Mackinnon (January 12)
My Response to Jeff Jarvis’ Comments on the Google-China Showdown by Siva Vaidhyanathan (January 12)
The Google News: China Enters The Bush-Cheney Era by James Fallows (January 12)
China Seeks Clarity on China’s Intentions by Miao Xiaojuan, Cheng Zhuo and Wang Cong of Xinhua (January 13)
Google sends a shockwave through Chinese internet by Charles Arthur of The Guardian
How Google censors its results in China by Bobbie Johnson of the Guardian (January 13)
China’s cyberwar goes beyond Google by Tim Stevens of The Guardian (January 13)
Everything (almost) that’s happened with Google + China so far – Elaine Chow of Shanghaiist (January 13)
Google strikes a blow to China’s Great Firewall by Jeremy Goldkorn in The Guardian (January 13)
Google v. Baidu: It’s Not Just about China by Sarah Lacy of Techcrunch (January 13)
Google’s challenge to China: the reaction by Tania Branigan and Dan Chung of the Guardian (January 13)
Google attacks ‘trace back to China’ by Tania Branigan and Kevin Anderson of The Guardian (January 13)
Google counts cost of censorship and draws red line under China by Boobie Johnson of the Guardian (January 13)
Timeline: Chinese internet censorship over the last year by Tania Branigan of The Guardian (January 14)
Google the latest victim of Chinese ’state-sponsored’ cyberwar by Charles Arthur of The Guardian (January 14)
Google investigates China staff over cyber attack by Tania Branigan of the Guardian (January 18)
Playing the Wall Game in China by Tania Branigan and Charles Arthur of The Guardian (January 18)
Podcast Links
NPR Onpoint Radio Google Versus China – 18th January 2010 with Tom Ashbrook, James Fallows, Kara Swisher, David Barboza and Yong Xue
This Week In Google Podcast Episode 25 ‘The People’s Republic of Google’ with Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Gina Trapani and Siva Vaidhyanathan (January 19)
BBC Digital Planet – 19th January 2010 with Gareth Mitchell, Bill Murray and Fons Tuinstra
