Google is 99% confident in the closure of its Chinese search engine: report
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Shanghai (Reuters) - Talks with China on censorship are at an impasse and Google, the world's largest search engine, is “99%” confident in closing its Chinese search, the Financial Times said Saturday.
In a report on its website, the Financial Times indicated that Google had developed detailed plans to close its Chinese search.
The newspaper pointed out that a person familiar with how Google thinks said that although a decision could be made very soon, most likely Google would need some time to fulfill its plans.
It will take time to properly close the (branch), as well as to take measures to protect its employees in China from (revenge) of the authorities.
China warned Google on Friday that it would not allow breaking the law of the country, while expectations of a public battle for censorship and Internet security were rising.
Google shocked companies and politicians in January, threatening to leave China if it was not possible to remove censorship from the Chinese search. The threat followed the Chinese Internet attack on Google and 30 other companies.
"If you do not comply with Chinese laws, you are unfriendly and irresponsible, and all the consequences (of such actions) will be on you," Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong told reporters on Friday in response to a question about China’s actions in case of stop filtering search results on Google.cn
This happened after Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced Wednesday that he hoped to soon announce the results of negotiations with Chinese authorities to provide unfiltered search results in China.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shares supervision of the Chinese Internet with other authorities. Even more bureaucracy is involved in matters related to foreign investment, complicating the response of the Chinese government to the challenge of Google.
(Report: Jason Subler; Editor: Paul Tait).
In a report on its website, the Financial Times indicated that Google had developed detailed plans to close its Chinese search.
The newspaper pointed out that a person familiar with how Google thinks said that although a decision could be made very soon, most likely Google would need some time to fulfill its plans.
It will take time to properly close the (branch), as well as to take measures to protect its employees in China from (revenge) of the authorities.
China warned Google on Friday that it would not allow breaking the law of the country, while expectations of a public battle for censorship and Internet security were rising.
Google shocked companies and politicians in January, threatening to leave China if it was not possible to remove censorship from the Chinese search. The threat followed the Chinese Internet attack on Google and 30 other companies.
"If you do not comply with Chinese laws, you are unfriendly and irresponsible, and all the consequences (of such actions) will be on you," Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong told reporters on Friday in response to a question about China’s actions in case of stop filtering search results on Google.cn
This happened after Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced Wednesday that he hoped to soon announce the results of negotiations with Chinese authorities to provide unfiltered search results in China.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shares supervision of the Chinese Internet with other authorities. Even more bureaucracy is involved in matters related to foreign investment, complicating the response of the Chinese government to the challenge of Google.
(Report: Jason Subler; Editor: Paul Tait).