Google: China Retaliates

I agree with Chinese government. Google has no business disobeying the great Chinese government. Chinese people still need a parenting government who tell them what to do and what not to do. They are not yet responsible people to be given such freedom. China definitely doesn't want its citizens to have westerners' savage ideas - like freedom of press and expression. It is in their best interest to have daddy government tell them what to do and occasional whipping is just a tough love.

Google deserves my support yet again!

Is it possible for people in China to use proxy servers in other countries to access uncensored content?

If they can, then I bet most of them are.

I admire google for such a move, but if you want to change China, shaming it isn't the way. NGOs and our government only have positive results in China when they approach the leaders with respect and candidness.

midsummerman,
Don't fault yourself for imagination. I like the visual concept of a fractal pattern of human growth you allude to. "Divine" of course, I myself would generally omit as a modifier, except as a metaphor. Our religious past has some fine descriptions of human conditions I hope we don't lose altogether. "State of grace" is a wonderful one in particular.

This is all so very interesting with the way our economies are intertwined - and that our cultures and governments are using such dramatically contrasting methods for controlling and manipulating the populace. Who's more effective do you suppose?
Does entropy nessecitate an eventual levelling of the earthly "standard of living" playing field? Or maybe there is some sort of Divine fractal pattern that can chart growth or "free will" in the unfolding of our new Global Community. I'm being silly and getting a little out there, I know.

Dershope,
I expect you really didn't really mean to say that Google "is an arm of the NSA." As the title and article in the Washington Post you cited makes clear that Google went to the NSA to get help on the Chinese cyber-attack on their proprietary data systems.
That attack, which amounts to economic espionage (and perhaps the old fashioned kind, given that the Chinese government was quite likely behind it) is the sort of thing the NSA should be eager to help with, notwithstanding the current usefulness of Google to the U.S. and any projected business with the U.S. government.

so what! this is about a 0.000000000001 on the surprise-o meter.

It appears that the "Great Dragon" has awakened and is released from the pit to ravage the World.

Sure over a period of time China will not be able to completely stop the flow of information but just how much of a difference does this make on China's Domestic policy?

Why am I not shocked that China of all places, are not allowing Google to be accessed by their residents!!

China is powerful, but not a positive power. I am glad that a company as free thinking as Google has put their mighty virtual foot down on China's Internet censorship. You can't censor a World Wide Web. We are no longer individual's or individual states or countries in cyber space. The boarders are no longer valid between computers connected by one almighty internet. The Chinese government may be strong but freedom of information can not be stopped! Their efforts to block free flowing information will only weaken China over time. As always the truth will set them free. Now if only Google could FREE TIBET!!!!!

Say what you will about China and its people. Know that China is quickly approaching super power status. The UK and US are already worried about the size and power of China's economy. Google (an arm of the NSA) agreed to play by China's rules when they landed there, now they want to change the rules in the middle of the game.

I would also go as far to put the US government behind the irritant that Google has become to China. I'm all for personal liberties to include free speech without censorship. However, thats in the US. Chinese laws are different. If a business wants to do business there they must play by that countries rules. Period. Don't like it then don't do business there. I'm sad to see the innovation that Google has turned out only to have them begin to act like this. Only makes me feel more confident about Uncle Sams involvement within Google. Links to these accusations below.

Google and NSA to play nice
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020304057....

UK & US Bullying China
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7442630/China-opposes-US-and-EU-dem...

Chinese Economy Second only to US
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/17/china-economic-growth-forecasts-r...

lol china is fucked! if your gonna pick a fight with someone don't pick it with... i don't think i can find a word big enough to describe google...

Gang bang China!

p.s. too harsh perhaps,....add "in a nice way" to that

FUCK China

I wonder what this means to Hong Kong's relationship with the Chinese? China has been claiming ownership of that particular island since Hong Kong claimed they were a separate country, and I can't imagine China being too happy about their little renegade island giving 'em the finger.

Expected from the Chinese regime. What does it say about a government when it is afraid of people who think differently and who criticize it?

They are not competent enough to challenge them as equals and they continue to treat the Chinese people as children who do not know what is good for them.

Talk about 10 yr olds!

In regard to the comment about "only a matter of time" before the Chinese overthrow their oppressive government, I think the Economist has a fairly accurate view of the Faustian bargain the Chinese people have with their government. As long as the material goods keep flowing, the Chinese people who have suffered through previous generations of starvation westerners can't even imagine, will put up with massive pollution and curtailed liberties.
The latter, by the way, not something they have every really experienced under any previous government in Chinese history.
Although it is admittedly a very small sample, the current generation of mainland Chinese I've known here still privately admire Mao and have directly profited from the Maoist government. (Maybe that's why they could afford to make it to this coast.)
It's an experience to see how uber-calculating the odd sample I've known close at hand. To my rather still rather naive western sense of things they exhibited an unplanetary rapaciousness when push comes to shove.
The sort of thing, one imagines, that could have only emerged when your grandparents told you tales of fighting over a spoonful of rice; when your parents were either members of the only legal political party, or were publicly humiliated or killed; and when you had to compete with two hundred thousand other applicants for one seat to into college, and either win that seat, or be consigned to a life toxic and miserable beyond imagining.
However, it isn't just the Chinese that chose a rice bowl over freedom. Wishful thinking aside, that is a more accurate description of the life choices of most humans, and most human societies.

I love it. Google has the balls to do what the US won't. Namely, take a major hit in the name of righteousness.

Google is already far and away the top search provider (sorry Bing, which actually means "disease" in Chinese), not to mention their free mobile app, google docs, chrome, and so on. If you aren't using Google's version of it, you aren't using the best. Now, the fact that they stand so strongly behind their ideal of unfettered access to information makes them nigh unstoppable.

If only it didn't consume the energy contained in an acre of rainforest every time you did a search.

If they don't want it then leave it alone & don't start no shit just go away !

There are "cracks" in the great wall. For those with the inclination and money, the whole network of shutdown sites can be conjured up again through paid virtual private networks (VPN) which essentially allow them to tunnel through the great firewall at will.

Its only a matter of time before the Chinese decide to overthrow their current government. With the censorship and forced evacuations of millions of people to build dams and cities and the like im surprised that people arent up in arms yet. Not to mention the amount of people being poisoned daily by the terrible conditions in China. The Yangtze river is one of the most polluted waterways on earth. It would be amazing if Google was actually the straw that broke the camels back...

The small object on the Google sign is a bouquet of flowers brought by a grateful Chinese user.
Google is of course in the right, but in my experience dealing with this particular generation of Chinese, that won't factor into what the Chinese government power clique see as their self interest, or their (usually massive) response.
It will be a great current history lesson for us all to see how (and if) the people of China themselves can independently respond to this latest effort to continue to keep them constrained and voiceless.
Sadly, I'd bet on the ones in power (with the guns) to come out on top again, but one never knows.
History, involving human aspirations can be a trickster from time to time--at least temporarily.