By Ben Roberts
Following a “sophisticated and targeted” cyber attack originating from China, aimed at accessing the Gmail accounts of human rights activists, Google has refused to continue to censor its search results and has threatened to leave China altogether. Interestingly, when Google originally launched its Chinese service in 2006, the company argued that pulling out of the country altogether would be even more damaging to civil liberties than agreeing to state censorship.
There are many theories on the motive behind Google’s move. An interesting question is whether the search giant would even be considering this if it had managed to capture a larger proportion of the Chinese search market – it currently holds around 30%, poor by its standards. Or perhaps Google is trying to restore faith in its brand, as many saw the willingness to accept Chinese censorship as betraying its informal company motto, “Don’t be evil.”
Google is almost untouchable in its position as one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies, but surely even it cannot run the risk of alienating China. With calls for other Western companies to follow Google’s example, it will be interesting to see how this all pans out. Will Google have waved goodbye to the largest market in the world, or will it be credited with leading the cyber fight back against a surveillance super power?
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