China tells Google to comply with censorship laws, or else

 

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Posted on 15 Mar 2010 at 12:33

China's Minister of Industry and Information Technology has warned that Google will "pay the consequences" if it continues to run google.cn uncensored.

In January, Google said that it may shut down its Chinese operations following the attack on its corporate infrastructure, saying that it would only operate in China if its search engine didn't have to be censored in accordance with the law.

"We need to preserve our nation's interest, our people's interest, we cannot be relaxed with any information that will cause harm to the stability of our society, to our system, and to the health of our under-age young people," said Li Yi Zhong, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, at China's annual legislation session. "So, of course, what needs to be shut down will be shut down, what needs to be blocked will be blocked."

When Google first entered China in 2006, it came under widespread criticism because it agreed to censor results surfaced by its search engine. Google insisted that it was serving the public interest, but many argued that Google was as bad as the Chinese government for complying with its censorship rules.

Following the attacks in January, which Google said originated from China and targeted webmail accounts owned by Chinese human rights activists, the two have endured a frosty war. Neither party would directly accuse the other party in their statements, but it was obvious who they were talking about.

Since the attack, Google executives have been discussing how it can offer an unfiltered service with the Chinese government so that the search giant can still act in accordance with the law. Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that he hoped the results of those talks would be made public soon.

"I hope Google will abide and respect the Chinese government's laws and regulations," said Li. "But, if you betray Chinese laws and regulations, it means that you are unfriendly, irresponsible, and you will have to pay the consequences."

Li Yi Zhong added that it was up to Google to decide whether it wanted to stay in China, claiming the internet would continue to flourish with or without the search giant. Google currently accounts for less than a third of all Chinese searches and is a distant second behind Baidu, who holds 60 per cent of the market.

Author: Tim Smalley