Google search blocked in China, again; other services partially blocked (update: false alarm, says Google)
By Ross Miller 
posted July 29th 2010 7:44PM
posted July 29th 2010 7:44PM
Update: TechCrunch reports hearing back from Google, who now say this is all much ado about nothing -- or rather, it's a false alarm. Apparently there was "relatively small blockage" last night, but it has since returned to normal.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
@aec0 Androids UI is ugly Anyways I'm not even gonna pwn your lame argument, I'm just gonna downrank you and your ridiculous name.
@Very Powerfull Codfish And why is his argument lame? How would you feel if China demands America's immigration law to be changed and the border with Mexico to be less restricted? Makes freedom and democracy look like a very subjective thing eh?
@Kameltow
Well China has the opposite problem, people are leaving. Plus, wherever you live, you probobly dont have millions of people taking money from your governtment without paying taxes? I'd go on but this is getting off-toppic.
@Scrubs Where I come from, the government taxes the shit out of me, conscripts me into the army. There's technically little political freedom. If I am unemployed, I have no unemployment benefits. Per capita, we probably have more new immigrants than the United States, and foreign workers takes what little job we have away when the rest are outsourced? This is probably worse than having illegal immigrants taking benefits. A cheap apartment cost around US$200,000. A small room (not a 1 bedroom apartment, just 1 room) is rented for $500. A new cheap car cost US$50,000. A used one US$20,000. Minimum wages is about US$2.50. Interestingly enough, this is now a commonplace problem in the well developed countries in Asia.
@Kameltow His argument is lame because he's actually *protecting* Chinas opressing of their people. They are hiding the truth from everyone by trying to sensoring the Internet etc. How is this NOT wrong?
What is china's problem????? seriously, the whole world uses google search, but what the hell is up with them?????
@Hell Angel Their government has a certain disease known only as the crazies.
@cloud858rk
COMMUNIST BASTARDS
i kid, i kid
@Hell Angel
Maybe so the Chinese people can't find out that we have higher pay, benefits, personal property, etc. It's gotta suck over there sometimes...
@Hell Angel
Google doesn't want to play by the rules so it get to suffer.
If you do business in US, you have to follow US laws: same in China. This has to do more with legality that morality.
@Hell Angel
Google think that it's so big that it's above the law when it's not.
@Kaazoo
Haha .. they are having your job too .. wake up and go out of your room sometimes.
@Steve Jobs Clone
Yeah .. lets see, evil corporation vs evil government .. hmm .. hard to pick. Google is not evil but if they can overpower a government then it becomes a very dangerous thing.
@Steve Jobs Clone when had standing up to commies been a bad thing. Good for Google more companies should grow some balls.
@Steve Jobs Clone
"If you do business in US, you have to follow US laws"
Unless you're really successful, then you can do what you want, and bribe politicians. Same as China .
@blindguymcsqueezy
Looks like just a glitch
Google says report of China search block maybe tech glitch
http://www.reuters.com/article/idCNTOE66S0AQ20100730?rpc=44
Why again does HTC want to sell Android phones in China?
China knows Android is made by Google, right?
@Wesscoast
Yeah but what is your point. Sure you can bribe officials anywhere in the world, but you DONT piss them off, like what google did.
What's up with that chart? I live in China, and let me tell you, Google Images NEVER work beyond the first minute or so (been over a year now), and Google search has been screwed again for a few weeks, not just today. Gmail takes forever to load and sometimes does not fully load or load at all.
Furthermore, western blogs on popular CMS software like Joomla and Wordpress can take several minutes to fully load as content appears to have to pass somehow through the Great Firewall. Also, thousands (or more) sites are completely blocked, even if China deems them OK, simply because they match a blocked IP (shared servers, one is blocked, they are ALL blocked)
@Meekermoloko
Because they dont play childish game like google. They just approved google license to continue operate in China. Now think about it, if China ban google and ask all cellphone manufacturer in China stop making android phones, who do you think is the loser here?
@Steve Jobs Clone
The problem is that Chinese laws suck. They're oppressive and restrictive.
Google is simply fighting to let China view content that they should already BE ALLOWED TO access.
@Hell Angel This is just fµ¢king revolting.
@Hell Angel The problem is that China is has an Authoritarian government intent on keeping anything opposing it hidden from its people, thats why. But hey I'm pretty sure people can still use proxies to get around over there.
@Aaquibn
You think China has laws? HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
@Meekermoloko Yes. Which is why the manufactures in China are using Android and taking off EVERYTHING Google. Search, Web, Market, etc.
I wouldn't be surprised if Google had a talk with HTC to sell Android phones over there, so they can continue to make money.
@EggoEspada
So basically Google makes no money from their free Android OS now?
HAHAHAHAHAH Great Strategy Moleman Schmidt!!!
@aec0 Androids UI is ugly Anyways
"another liberal idiot who thinks their ideologies should be accepted by everyone."
...and yet the Bush administration was trying to spread capitalism to other countries...
Now, stop politicking ... this is a tech site!!
@Hell Angel
this is what you get for not following the law. Google is way over it's head.
@Steve Jobs Clone i would + your first comment and - your second but somehow the opposite happened.
i think it's good to realize that law does NOT equal morals (sure it should but it doesnt)
Google fights for morals, not laws, and I for one think it's a good thing and a very non-evil move from Google (and no, I don't have an android phone :P)
@Wesscoast Actually, they'll most likely make $10B per year off Android alone.
I don't know, but those are some mighty big numbers, don't you think?
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/07/28/eric-schmidt-on-google%E2%80%99s-next-tricks/
@EggoEspada In Communist China, Government searches you!!
@Hell Angel
It's not what's the problem with China but what's the problem with the rest of the world. The reason the West and especially the US has difficulties understanding China is simply because China does things differently. In the last 200 years or so the world has become more Westernized and as such people in the West simply expect others to be "more Western" and when people do not conform they are baffled.
In the last 60 years the world has more or less followed the American model of economic development under the Washington Consensus but China in the last 30 years has be the exception to the rule had has now undergone it's own economic development under the newly coined Beijing Consensus. This puts Western but more importantly America at odds with China since this is presents challenges to American Hegemony.
This can be understood in simpler terms: most "advanced" countries has allowed economic liberalization (i.e allowed the opening of their markets to others) and at the same time political liberalization. Counter to this is China's development path, which has undergone economic liberalization but no political liberalization and according to China there need not be for economic progress.
People need to consider that here is no "right" or "universal" path of development and according to the Beijing Consensus there needs to be "a right to self-determination".
@Hell Angel No, but seriously...
@Steve Jobs Clone Downranked because you said a true statement?? Wow. Even if its something that shouldn't be (how Chinas laws are) its true what jobs clone said.
If course some can bribe the gov, and whatever, but normally the gov is above a company.
If someone is going to do some sort of business at some country they have to do them according to the gov laws. There are always illegal ways, but like it or not you always have to play by the rules (originally)
I guess now downrank me for saying the truth, but not something people like to hear.
YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!
@canonsburg
Uh... no. There are a number of fundamental rights and freedoms that are non-negotiable and not a question of being "Western" or not. Freedom from torture, freedom of speech, life, right to own property, etc. are not something that is a "Western" influence or an effect of the so-called American Hegemony, thay are inalienable, and to deny them or to defend attempts to deny them is unconscienable. And before the "You Americans need to stop forcing your view of the world on others." comes in, I'm Canadian.
@Hell Angel COMMUNISTS LIKE YOUR PRESIDENT HAHA XD
@Hell Angel : Whenever I have a "blockage" I take some ex-lax® Ultra Strength stimulant laxative and it fixes me right up. :)
@aec0 Androids UI is ugly Anyways
Yes! Someone else who thinks factory conditions should be up to the CEOs AND that people having rights is a bad thing! You and me can get along great.
@Hell Angel
Wrong. What is Google's problem? They talked big about censorship, yet still made a deal with China anyway.
@Hell Angel I must tell U the reason: There are rules around the world, but Google didn't follow Chinese rules. Besides Google is not very popular in China
@paxman That's because you got a low connection speed.
@Hell Angel
Funny that people still believe Google is locking horns with China, defying Chinese authority in the name of moral, freedom and whatever virtues.
I thought that here in the US, with the "freedom" of the media, people would be better informed about what REALLY happened between Google and the Chinese government.
Well I guess one difference between the US and China is that in the US, the control of the media is more subtle.
@canonsburg Yeah, I agree with U. Maybe Google don't understand what he has done. They are losing customers, especially China is the biggest market in the world.
But as I'm a customer of Google and I don't like Baidu at all. Hopefully, Google will obey Chinese laws and rules.
And welcome back, Google
@Hell Angel NO, China uses this thing called Baidu.
@Hell Angel
My aunt lives in Shanghai, and yes, it sucks ass that if you post anything negative about the government on your blog, they actually WILL backtrace it and cyberpolice and consequences will never be the same. =(
I lived in Singapore and its the same thing. They pretend to have elections, but the elections are only from candidates that the dictatorship approves and they still ask you to vote when they only give you one "qualified" candidate to pick from.
NO ONE likes to be silenced, censored, and kept in the dark, but people also don't like to be run over by tanks. What are you supposed to do?
@Hell Angel
the whole world uses google? actually its far from being the number one search engine in china or most of asia or russia, so there are 100s of millions of people who dont use it.
@Wesscoast
Yeah good luck reading only what your government wants you to read.
Insanity I Tell Ya!
@DaHarder Why do you cap the first letter in every word you write here on Engadget?
@Very Powerfull Codfish
Only for short messages... or for emphasis.