Google’s China license problems
p2p news / p2pnet: Does anyone really think there’s even a vague possibility Google will fall seriously foul of China over apparent licensing troubles?
For the past couple of days the media have been reporting the company may be in difficulties because Google.cn is operating without a license.
Google denies this, saying everything is fine – that it’s working under license from domestic web site Ganji, and that it’s normal practice for foreign companies operating in China to function in this way.
“The Chinese Ministry of Information Industry, the regulator of the IT industry, was very cautious on the issue,” says the Xinhua news agency. “The ministry spokesman Wang Lijian said it had finished investigating the licensing case, and its findings will soon be publicized. He said the ministry is taking a circumspect attitude in dealing with the case.
“According to Wang, the Beijing Communications Administration was still investigating the problem and its results will soon be published.”
In the interim, Google continues to take heavy flak from all quarters because it’s cooperating openly with Beijing’s Net censors. It defends its China news and information black-out policies by saying it’s better for citizens to have a somewhat limited service than no service at all, going from its ‘Do No Evil‘ (”Google does not censor results for any search term”) to, “It is Google’s policy not to censor search results. However, in response to local laws, regulations, or policies, we may do so.”
There’s no question that China’s totalitarian leaders are aware of this, and are grateful for it.
Meanwhile, Baidu, the Chinese search engine in which Google has an interest, is doing very well indeed.
Also See:
in difficulties – Google: ‘No license in China’, February 21, 2006
Xinhua – Google.cn granted license for operation in China, February 22, 2006
Do No Evil – Google admits censorship, January 28, 2004
