subject: Google: To leave or not to Leave, This is A Question [print this page] Hundreds of years ago, Shakespeare said: to be or not to be, this is a question. And now there are no other phrases that could perfectly describe the situation of Google in China: to leave or not to leave, this is a question. Yesterday, David Drummond, SVP, Corporate Development and chief legal officer of Google published a post named A new approach to China on Google's official website; the following is part of the post: We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results. At the time we made clear that we will carefully monitor conditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on our services. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectives outlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China. According to the post, this decision was made after an investigation found that the company had been hit with major cyber attacks which are believed originated from China. It is also said that Google suffered a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on its corporate infrastructure originating from China in mid-December, which resulted in the theft of intellectual property. As the giant internet search engine, Google has provided its services and free information worldwide. While in China, Google compromises to censor some of its searching results due to the agreement with Chinese government. However, the fact is that tensions between goggle and the Chinese government still exist. Human-rights advocates endorsed Google's statement. The company's decision 'spotlights the importance of freedom of expression and privacy online,' Human Rights Watch said in a statement. As is known to all, since China joined WTO, it shows its huge potential as well as provides a large market. To withdraw from China means to abandon a great amount of fortune and opportunity, as the same time support the human right and freedom. But, would this action affect its relationship with Chinese government? It is the right time for Google to ask itself: to leave or not to leave, this is a question.
Google: To leave or not to Leave, This is A Question
