Google, the world's leading search engine, has thrown down the gauntlet to China by saying it is no longer willing to censor search results on its Chinese service.
The internet giant said the decision followed a cyber attack it believes was aimed at gathering information on Chinese human rights activists.
The move follows a clampdown on the internet in China over the last year, which has seen sites and social networking services hosted overseas blocked – including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube – and the closure of many sites at home. Chinese authorities criticised Google for supplying "vulgar" content in results.
Google acknowledged that the decision "may well mean" the closure of Google.cn and its offices in China.
That is an understatement, given that it had to agree to censor sensitive material – such as details of human rights groups and references to the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 – to launch Google.cn.
Google was in contact with the US state department before its announcement. Spokesman PJ Crowley said: "Every nation has an obligation, regardless of the origin of malicious cyber activities, to keep its part of the network secure.
"That includes China. Every nation should criminalise malicious activities on computer networks."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/12/google-china-ends-censorship