Google in China: The Big Disconnect

The Chinese are fascinated with the possibilities of the internet. When the head of operations for Google in China gave a lecture at one Chinese university, thousands attended and scalpers sold tickets. Despite strict government controls, the internet and search engines foster learning and a free exchange of ideas – including even China’s long-neglected rural population. Despite censorship, young Chinese still practice personal expression with blogs and online chats. The government, more proud than furtive about its own controls, expects Chinese users to exercise self-discipline. Skilled political writers test the government and understand the boundaries – avoiding any attempts at organization or political action. Competing against Chinese servers whose censorship is extreme, Google had to fight and then compromise to do business in China and avoid ongoing interception by the government’s firewall. Making no profit, Google offers no e-mail or blogging services, preventing any attempts to trace such users; the firm also runs two servers, one filtered and the other including blocked sites, so that users can check how much is actually blocked. The Chinese government refuses to hand over any list of censored sites, so Google runs its own tests to develop a list. Advocates for free speech might argue that partial rights are not much better than rights denied and China’s internet system, while not perfect, has at least made public speech a habit in the world’s most populated nation. – YaleGlobal