Google versus China—to censor search or not to?

After two months of discussions with Chinese regulators, Google has finally stopped censoring its search and news results in China; and started redirecting browsers to its Hong Kong site.

The negotiations began when Google said that a cyber attack originated from the Chinese region.

Google will now be offering an uncensored search simplified in Chinese from its Hong King site. The new site is meant for Chinese Google searchers.

“We want as many people in the world as possible to have access to our services, including users in mainland China, yet the Chinese government has been crystal clear throughout our discussions that self-censorship is a non-negotiable legal requirement,” explained David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer, in a blog post.

The move has been met by harsh criticism from the government, which is saying that Google has violated its written premise to censor search in China.

“This is totally wrong,” explained a Chinese official. “We’re uncompromisingly opposed to the politicization of commercial issues and express our discontent and indignation to Google for its unreasonable accusations and conducts.”

Currently, Google holds 36 percent of the Chinese search advertising market, while Baidu still holds on to 58 percent of the market.

Local industry analysts say that Google will more likely suffer for removing censorship. Chinese experts expect Google’s market share in the region to decrease, and Baidu’s share to increase.