Google Divides Web Users by Leaving China

Google decided to partially leave China due to the conflict of censorship. Google Inc. has been based in China for four years now, but after the recent battle of words between the company and the Chinese government, Google has decided to leave China and essentially give up its 300 million internet users.

What would make Google Inc, make such a bold move? There has been multiple cyber attack s on Google’s databases from Chinese leaders recently which pushed Google over the edge. China has shown Google that business there is corrupt, and Google wants no part in it. For years Google has been trying to work and convince China to change its censorship laws, but the country would not listen. And now it is no longer Google’s concern because they have moved their web-search services elsewhere.

This relocation angers China because they claim Google has broken written promises it made when it entered into their market. Google was to follow China’s rules and customs when they came into the market, but Google Inc. was constantly pressuring them to change their laws on censorship. This has offended and angered China immensely.

So what happens next? Google is still in China, but a lot less than before. Google is still offering services to the Chinese, and still even has a few offices, but for the most part is gone. This divides web users because nearly everyone enjoys Google’s features and many even admire Google’s strong stand, but they fear to support Google worried what the Chinese government will do next.

By making China angry, it is expected that Google and its affiliates will be censored from now on to citizens of China. Other websites the Chinese will miss are Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. This issue while disappointing, may benefit China overall because it is bringing about a greater awareness of how China is violating human rights through censorship.

Google’s strong stand against censorship is respected by many. By censoring Internet search engine results, the citizens cannot see political or pornographic material. This is clearly defying human rights, and human rights activists can only hope that by Google angering China, they will get more international publicity.

Some fear that it may affect China and United States relationship. If the subject of internet freedom or internet rights comes up again at the economic talks set, things may get ugly between the US and China. But more than likely the topic will be avoided to maintain the relationship between the two country’s.