25. Jan 2006
Human rights campaigners condemn Google censorship
Human rights campaigners have condemned Google, the American-based internet search engine company after they revealed plans to launch a Chinese version of their product. The new version removes information not approved by the Communist authorities and will prevent users in China from having access to material about Tibetan independence, the Tiananmen Square massacre and many other human rights-related issues. “In order to operate from China, we have removed some content from the search results available on Google.cn, in response to local law, regulation or policy”, the Californian company said in a statement. Google is already subject to Chinese government censorship, which blocks search results returning undesired information. The country maintains a sophisticated system of monitoring — known as “The Great Firewall of China” — that restricts access to a range of Western websites. Google estimates that this filtering blocks about 1,000 search categories. No published list of barred terms exists, although the authorities are quick to respond if offending information becomes available. As a result of the filtering, access to Google’s website is slowed down, and its position is under threat from Baidu, a Chinese company that is the local market leader. According to research published in July 2005, Google had a share of about 28 per cent and falling, while Baidu’s share was just over 40 per cent and rising. It is these figures that many commentators believe is the motivation for the company's actions in China. “Google is endorsing censorship and repression", said Alison Reynolds of Free Tibet Campaign. "This also further contradicts those political leaders who attempt to convince us that foreign business can change China for the better: here is just one more example of where China has changed foreign business for the worse." Representatives from Google and other internet companies have been called to a US Congressional Human Rights Caucus hearing, and to a session of the House of Representatives subcommittee on Global Human Rights, to face scrutiny from American lawmakers.