Googledygook

The Chinese press are now in overdrive attacking the US administration's support for Google over accusations of cyber attacks and controls on internet freedom. Leader and opinion columns explain that China wanted to keep the dispute as a legal matter but now the US is "damaging" relations between the countries. Their argument is that all countries, including the US, monitor and control internet and intervene to protect national security. The dispute is about the nature of internet censorship which China says varies according to national preferences - and such choices should be respected. The China Daily headline on 24 January was: The China Foreign Ministry refutes US claims China restricts Internet whilst the Global Times, owned by the People’s Daily, ran an editorial with the headline: The world does not welcome the White House’s Google. However, the reality is that social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are blocked in China. My wife, Sophia, has now got used to the shock of being removed from e-social contact with her Facebook friends. Obviously the Chinese Foreign Ministry does not regard such blocks as restricting internet access. In the googledygook language the view that is being pushed through the government media ‘organ’ is that all countries censor the internet to safeguard society. Parallel to the daily news stories supporting China’s position (including quotes from Bill Gates claiming the restriction is very modest in China) there are parallel articles featuring support for China’s stance on blocking internet and mobile porn. US citizens and unidentified “observers" are quoted offering support for China’s position to fan a nationalist stance against Washington’s “manipulation” of Google to enforce their version of human rights on China.

So now we have major brinkmanship between Google, supported by the US, who are (we are told here) intent on establishing "internet hegemony" and coercive sales and trade practice "under the disguise of 'universal values'" - and China, who feels offended by US accusations. The stand-off is this: Google has broken its agreement with the Chinese government to allow internet filtering of such topics as ****** and **** and has not yet made any attempt to close down its China operations whilst the Chinese government is making clear that no changes will be made to its internet security and anti-porn filtering policies as a result of illegitimate threats by a foreign company. But will China shut Google down for showing unfiltered search results?

...By the way clicking the "illegal" search results to the linked internet pages is blocked.