Google vs. China

After the possible withdrawal of Google from China, a dust cloud of unusual proportions has been unleashed. The story began on January 12 when Google opened up the possibility of leaving the country due to government cyber attacks; not only on Gmail accounts of human rights activists, but also on Google’s intellectual property archives and email accounts of 20 other companies.

It is valuable to remember that Google entered China by complying with the government — imposed conditions, which now appear to inconvenience it. Throughout the years, Google accepted limiting regulations, according to which certain images and tools ought to be suppressed. Google understood that censorship was commonplace in that country. This is something for which numerous organizations, in favor of freedom of expression, do not forgive this Internet giant.

The 180-degree turn that Google has made in the beginning of 2010, which calls for human rights and challenges a totalitarian regime with the explicit help of Obama, leaves the world speechless. Really, will Google yield to a nation with political and socio-cultural standards that are at odds with not only Americans but also with Westerners? If Google wins, what will be the new face of Google after “defeating” Chinese totalitarianism? Many argue that Google has much to lose. However, it never dominated the Chinese niche market, the most powerful in the world with more than 300 million Internet users.

China has said that Google should continue to comply with local rules of the game. The ball is in the search engine’s court. Google’s negotiation skills and the management of two additional matters are also put to the test. The first problem is the legal issue it faces for having uploaded thousands of books by Chinese authors on Google Books without paying royalties. And the second, as numerous bloggers put forth on the Internet, is its failure in China, finding itself far behind the leaders, such as the search engine, Baidu. Many presume that Google seeks to leave with its head held high above China and with the wounded dignity of a defender of human rights in a dictatorial country — ridding itself of the royalty mess and its low influence in the Chinese market.

These are only speculations of Google’s true motives, but it is certain that China has tainted the growth of its economy and its global prestige through repression and censorship. Therefore, it is necessary to wait for what will come about in order to understand, with greater clarity, who is the victim and who is the victimizer in this quarrel, which should prove to be both unusual and surprising.