Google hacked by Chinese, wants out
Google is likely to withdraw its Google.cn service in coming days, amid revelations of breaches to Google and other companies’ data security. Without actually naming the Chinese government, Google has stated that these attacks originated in China, and that the privacy of Chinese human rights activists has been compromised.
It may appear that Google has sacrificed financial gain in order to defend human rights. But this is merely a happy coincidence: Google realises that their bottom line depends entirely on people trusting them with their information. However, they are not at all cynical about this trust—they bend over backwards to be open and transparent. Their statement today is just an extension of this openness.
Of course, Google was keen to experiment with a lucrative and growing market, as are huge list of other companies—not least of all, Microsoft. Google must be applauded for standing up to China at a time when they are more powerful than ever. It is lucky enough to have the financial clout to do it, and I doubt anyone else will follow suit—such is the world’s addiction to China.
A censored version of Google’s search engine has been provided on Google.cn since 2006. The company was always openly reluctant to do so, but felt that the Chinese people deserved a compromised, rather than essentially non-existant, service.
