Google 'may end China operations over e-mail breaches'

[pampango]

Source: BBC

Internet search company Google says it may end operations in China over alleged breaches of the e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. It said in a blog post it had detected a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China".

"A primary goal of the attackers was accessing the gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists", it added.

But the company said it was "no longer willing to continue censoring our results" on its Chinese search engine, as the government requires. Google said the decision could force it to shut down its Chinese site and its offices in the country.

The company said its investigation into the attack found two gmail accounts appeared to have been accessed. However, activity was limited to account information such as the date the account was created and subject line, rather than e-mail content, it said.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8455712.stm

[Juche]

1. Blah, I came here to post that

Either way, seems like a positive step

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[msongs]

3. google can also block access to anything coming from china including sales of cheap junk nt

[quakerboy]

24. how much you want to bet the so called "google phone"

any of them, really, but I was thinking of the new HTC Nexus one, will have "made in china" etched and embossed repeatedly on virtually every single piece used to make it?

[Hekate]

4. Good for Google. They learned something valuable about the Chinese government...

I was really taken aback and disappointed when I read they'd agreed to censor Google access from China per the Chinese government's request. Perhaps they didn't understand it earlier because of their relative youth and concentrated technical genius that didn't necessarily include the necessary data-set, as it were. I applaud them for getting it now. American companies shouldn't be cooperating with foreign governments in oppressing their own people.

Hekate

[marshall]

5. Give 'em an inch.....

Google obviously miscalculated that by capitulating to China's censorship demand that would suffice. But China wanted to take it a step further. Good for them--you can't bargain with tyranny.

[CynicalObserver]

20. why make excuses for them? They wanted access to the

future largest market in the world. Business is business, and they were already a publicly traded corporation with professional executives and directors.

[SPedigrees]

21. Same here. Kudos to Google. eom

[47of74]

6. Here's the blog posting from Google

Here's the blog posting from Google's official blog about this;

Like many other well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident--albeit a significant one--was something quite different.

First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses--including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors--have been similarly targeted. We are currently in the process of notifying those companies, and we are also working with the relevant U.S. authorities.

Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.

Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been 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.

[Divine Discontent]

19. China is dangerous. Not only this proves it, but many horrible things they've done.

they shouldn't have capitulated to begin with. it was creepy they did, but I'm glad they learned from their mistake.

[alp227]

7. Looks like China is either too bossy or too dangerous

Until China becomes a proper democracy, Google shouldn't try using a democratic business model there.

[Suji to Seoul]

8. Great. . .the only search engine I use in China is gone.

I can't read baidu.com. It's in Mandarin. Arrrrrrghhhh!!!!!

[scentopine]

9. China doing this? Shocking! Who could have predicted this? Now here

is another prediction- I predict a few meaningless threats, a few denials from China and Google will be back - business as usual.

I was right about the first prediction, China using & cracking google accounts to catalog and track protesters. That was easy.

I think the second one is just as easy.

I am also predicting China is gobbling up whatever intellectual property they can get from working with Google.

Eventually they will use it against American businesses and workers in both "legitimate" (i.e. product design and development) and "illegitimate" (i.e. espionage) ways.

[Greyhound]

10. Good for Google.

For a behemoth corporation, they're pretty good.

I'm positively breathless, anticipating their new OS.

[FreakinDJ]

11. Google must have ordered some INTEGRITY from the store

I wish Yahoo could figuar it out.

I remember when Yahoo first bent under the Chinese Communist Party rule and started handing over IP and Email information so the Communist government could start using the information to prosecute dissidents / political protesters. I immediately set my "BOT.TX files" on all my websites to exclude Yahoo search engines

[Vidar]

12. Thank you Google.

[cory777]

13. Google ‘no longer willing’ to censor Chinese searches

Source: Rawstory

UPDATE (at bottom): Google appears to have already turned off Chinese filters

googlebuildingsign Google no longer willing to censor Chinese searchesInternet search giant Google dropped a bombshell on Chinese authorities Tuesday with the announcement that the firm is "no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn," the company's portal in China.

In a lengthy explanation posted to the official Google blog, Google's Senior Vice President David Drummond explained that the decision came after Chinese hackers used phishing scams and malware to access the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists around the world.

While the post does not explain precisely who was behind the attacks, it describes a "highly sophisticated and and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China."

Read more: http://rawstory.com/2010/01/google-no-longer-continue-censoring-chinese-searches/

[LuckyLib]

14. The Chinese will now have to figure out how to completely shut Google out of China.

Good luck with that.

[SPedigrees]

22. Google is but one of a myriad of search engines. China can't strongarm them all

into censoring their content.

[DJ13]

15. I think they're losing marketshare to Baidu

[EvolveOrConvolve]

16. Baidu already owns 75% or more of the Chinese market

Which is not insubstantial.

[AlphaCentauri]

17. more like google is predicting their decline in competition

and looking for a good excuse not to look like losers.

[buckrogers1965]

18. Ummmmmm...

Thanks for stopping being evil?

[progressoid]

23. No they won't.

They'll work out an "agreement".

[ConcernedCanuk]

25. I don't think China will give a shit if Google alienates them.

.
.
.

They may even welcome it.

China has become a force of their own.

As much as we may criticize China, they are not known for invading other countries and continents.

China supplies much of the World's goods - maybe more than the USA does.

China has 3 times the population of the USA

that's a lotta bombs to kill them all - and after watching the "superpower" in Iraq and Afghanistan,

I don't think FEAR is big in the minds of the Chinese regarding the USA's "war-machine"

China has been watching the USA's fubars for decades, if not centuries.

I say, do not underestimate China