(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Frustrated by computer network attacks originating from China targeting its email service and corporate infrastructure, Google said it may pull out of China, which could anger China’s business community and even cause a rift in US-China relations.
In an official Google blog post by corporate development senior vice president and chief legal officer David Drummond, the company stated that a mid-December attack that stole its intellectual property was different than a normal security incident. The attack was not just on Google, but also on at least 20 other large companies from a wide range of businesses spanning the IT, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors.
Perhaps more damning, however, is that Google said it has evidence suggesting that one of the main objectives of the attack was to access the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. And while the attempt fell short of its objective, in the course of its investigation, Google found independent of the attack that of dozens of American, Chinese and European Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China had their accounts routinely accessed by third parties. “These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users’ computers,” Drummond wrote.
Combined with attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web, these attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered has led it to re-examine “the feasibility” of its operations in China.
“We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results. At the time we made clear that ‘we will carefully monitor conditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on our services. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectives outlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China.’”
After thorough review, Google has essentially given the Chinese government an ultimatum. It will no longer continue to censor its results on Google.cn, and in the coming weeks it will discuss with the Chinese government the basis on which Google could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law. If such a search engine is not possible, Google will willfully shut down Google.cn, and potentially its offices in China.
Given the far-reaching consequences of this decision to potentially pull out of China, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement on the matter. “We have been briefed by Google on these allegations, which raise very serious concerns and questions. We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. I will be giving an address next week on the centrality of Internet freedom in the 21st century, and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts become clear.”
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