Main Issues
Over the last several years, Google and China have been locked in a battle over censorship. In addition to filtering its citizen’s internet searches, the Chinese government routinely restricts access to, or outright blocks, several of Google’s products. Products such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Translate are the most affected. These actions by the Chinese government have a direct effect on Google’s market share in China and overall revenue. In early 2010, just before the troubles between Google and China escalated to where they are now, Google had a 36% market share of search advertising in China, equating to roughly $300 million annually. Since that time, the Chinese search market has exploded with …show more content…
China uses many tactics to restrict content for its citizens. They use advanced, customized firewall and monitoring systems, shuttering publications or websites, and even sending dissident journalists to jail. According to the Chinese constitution, Chinese citizens have the right of free speech and press. The Chinese Government, however, circumvents their constitution to by claiming certain technologies and media entities expose state secrets and place their country in danger. The definition of “state secrets” is vague in China, enabling the government to filter or block anything they deem necessary. China’s targeting of foreign Internet services coincides with two national trends. First, China is increasingly worried about domestic terrorism and, second, is the ever-rising nationalism directed towards Japan and its allies, namely the United …show more content…
Instead, Google directed the Chinese people to use their Hong Kong search engine, which provides unfiltered results. The Chinese government responded by sporadically blocking the Chinese people’s access to the Hong Kong’s servers as well. The Chinese government would block the site for around 90 seconds if a user tried to enter anything on the list of banned Chinese characters. In 2014, Google tried another workaround by encrypting a users’ searches and results. This made it harder for Chinese censors to determine who was pursuing the types of searches in which they normally block. The Chinese government responded by essentially blocking all access to Google websites, instead of the normal 90 second delay when questionable searches were made. The Chinese people have also attempted their own workarounds to access Google’s services. Some individuals have tried to circumvent the system by using a VPN, or virtual private network. This would enable the user to bypass the Internet filters the Chinese government uses. This solution is not an option for the majority of Chinese users as they either cannot obtain access to a VPN or they simply cannot afford
Over the last several years, Google and China have been locked in a battle over censorship. In addition to filtering its citizen’s internet searches, the Chinese government routinely restricts access to, or outright blocks, several of Google’s products. Products such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Google Translate are the most affected. These actions by the Chinese government have a direct effect on Google’s market share in China and overall revenue. In early 2010, just before the troubles between Google and China escalated to where they are now, Google had a 36% market share of search advertising in China, equating to roughly $300 million annually. Since that time, the Chinese search market has exploded with …show more content…
China uses many tactics to restrict content for its citizens. They use advanced, customized firewall and monitoring systems, shuttering publications or websites, and even sending dissident journalists to jail. According to the Chinese constitution, Chinese citizens have the right of free speech and press. The Chinese Government, however, circumvents their constitution to by claiming certain technologies and media entities expose state secrets and place their country in danger. The definition of “state secrets” is vague in China, enabling the government to filter or block anything they deem necessary. China’s targeting of foreign Internet services coincides with two national trends. First, China is increasingly worried about domestic terrorism and, second, is the ever-rising nationalism directed towards Japan and its allies, namely the United …show more content…
Instead, Google directed the Chinese people to use their Hong Kong search engine, which provides unfiltered results. The Chinese government responded by sporadically blocking the Chinese people’s access to the Hong Kong’s servers as well. The Chinese government would block the site for around 90 seconds if a user tried to enter anything on the list of banned Chinese characters. In 2014, Google tried another workaround by encrypting a users’ searches and results. This made it harder for Chinese censors to determine who was pursuing the types of searches in which they normally block. The Chinese government responded by essentially blocking all access to Google websites, instead of the normal 90 second delay when questionable searches were made. The Chinese people have also attempted their own workarounds to access Google’s services. Some individuals have tried to circumvent the system by using a VPN, or virtual private network. This would enable the user to bypass the Internet filters the Chinese government uses. This solution is not an option for the majority of Chinese users as they either cannot obtain access to a VPN or they simply cannot afford