China versus Google!

Now coming from a journalistic background I do know that China has strict policies when it comes to media. Which is why, it comes as no surprise for me that Google and the Chinese government were at loggerheads since January this year. But what surprised me is that the tense standoff has finally resolved with certain terms acceptable to both parties.

Anyways, in today’s age, it is hardly a choice for any government to ignore a prime media source like Google. Similarly, it would have been a big loss for Google also to move out of a vast nation like China, which has millions of potential users. Hence it’s no rocket science to understand that both parties would have felt the loss, the Chinese government being severely criticized the world over for its strict censorship.

But I wonder how can any progressive nation in this era even imagine a situation without social and internet media? Now the compromise has come at a cost for Google because it is being replaced by other search engines. This will lead to reduction in their earnings as they make their money placing ads linked to search results.

Back in January, Google said that it wouldn’t be willing to continue cooperating with Chinese censors after the hacking attempts on its databases and the e-mail accounts of some users.

Even before censorship, Google found it hard to gain the same dominance that it had in other countries. But it’s not just Google; social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube are blocked in China.

Amnesty International notes that China “has the largest recorded number of cyber-dissidents in the world.”

Well, what happens to Google in China is for us to wait and watch. But certainly, it’s really difficult to digest the fact that in a world of online marketing and social media, how two entities can even afford to leave each other, especially when they both are essential for the other’s advance!