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Google is announcing that it's going to place a flag on contentious search terms for users in mainland China. Mountain View's Alan Eustace euphemistically described how some searches break a connection to the service, leading to users being frozen out for around a minute each time. He theatrically added that the company has checked its servers several times and found no error, so whatever issue causes these outages must be external. Whenever a term is typed that is likely to cause an "outage," the error message in the picture above will appear, with a suggestion to search for something else, or use Pinyin to search for a term where contentious keywords appear inside otherwise natural searches.

Continue reading Google to flag 'censored' searches for Chinese users (video)

Google to flag 'censored' searches for Chinese users (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Alan EustaceAlanEustaceCensorshipChinaChineseCivil LibertiesCivilLibertiesDemocracyGoogleGoogle SearchGoogleSearchGreat FirewallGreat Firewall of ChinaGreatFirewallGreatFirewallOfChinaPinyinRepresstionSearchvideoYangtze RiverYangtzeRiverFri, 01 Jun 2012 10:51:00 EST<![CDATA[Beijing's rolling out city wide 'free' public WiFi, just hand over your phone number]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/03/beijings-rolling-out-city-wide-free-public-wifi-just-hand-ove/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/03/beijings-rolling-out-city-wide-free-public-wifi-just-hand-ove/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/03/beijings-rolling-out-city-wide-free-public-wifi-just-hand-ove/#comments
Heads-up, locals: China's Mobile, Unicom and Telecom carriers are building a city-wide public WiFi network across Beijing. Residents will enjoy free 2Mbps internet for up to three years, if they sign up to the "My Beijing" service. Like most things that are gratis, there's a catch: you have to submit your phone number in exchange for access. Privacy enthusiasts aren't thrilled at the idea, (you know, since it's backed by the Government), though a representative said that the numbers would only be used for "identity authentication" -- insinuating that they would only be tracing individuals whose online activity might "endanger social security." High-minded privacy concerns aside, there's the very real danger of phones being bombarded with spam, not to mention what happens when the three year trial period expires -- users of the service could get stung with exorbitant costs to feed a public WiFi addiction.

Beijing's rolling out city wide 'free' public WiFi, just hand over your phone number originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BeijingBeijing WiFiBeijingWifiBig BrotherBigBrotherCensorshipCensorship in ChinaCensorshipInChinaChinachinesegovernmentGreat FirewallGreat Firewall of ChinaGreatFirewallGreatFirewallOfChinamuni-fimunifiPrivacywifiThu, 03 Nov 2011 11:42:00 EST<![CDATA[Great Firewall of China getting a small cloud-based silver lining]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/23/great-firewall-of-china-getting-a-small-cloud-based-silver-linin/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/23/great-firewall-of-china-getting-a-small-cloud-based-silver-linin/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/23/great-firewall-of-china-getting-a-small-cloud-based-silver-linin/#commentsChina, it seems, is getting ready to punch a cloud-shaped hole in its infamous Great Firewall. A massive six square mile office park currently being built in the southwestern city of Chongqing is set to escape the filtering that dominates the rest of the company's internet access. The area, affectionately known as the "Cloud Zone," will be home to technology companies and Chinese startups that will presumably require free access to sites like Twitter and Facebook to do their jobs. Freedom, after all, is just another word for being able to update your status from your cubicle.

Great Firewall of China getting a small cloud-based silver lining originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chinaChongqingcloudfacebookgreat firewallgreat firewall of chinaGreatFirewallGreatFirewallOfChinatwitterThu, 23 Jun 2011 21:39:00 EST<![CDATA[Google to stop censoring Chinese search results 'soon,' China warns of consequences]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/google-to-stop-censoring-chinese-search-results-soon-china-wa/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/google-to-stop-censoring-chinese-search-results-soon-china-wa/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/12/google-to-stop-censoring-chinese-search-results-soon-china-wa/#comments According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is making headway with its plans to stop filtering search results in China. Quoting Eric Schmidt as saying that "something will happen soon," the latest report is that Google is engaged in negotiations with multiple government agencies in China, and the likeliest scenario at this point is that the search giant will remain in the People's Republic, though it may be in a slightly altered state. "There will be a way for Google to not pull out 100%," says a source familiar with the ongoing discussions, who expects that El Goog will find a patchwork arrangement by which it'll be able to maintain some parts of its business running while no longer adhering to China's censorship fiat. For its part, China is keeping up its tough posturing, with the latest statement from its IT ministry describing Google's plans as "unfriendly and irresponsible" and warning that the company will have to bear the consequences of its actions. What appears certain at this point, however, is that there'll be no going back to censored Google search results, which is a win in our books whatever the final outcome.

Google to stop censoring Chinese search results 'soon,' China warns of consequences originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>censoringcensorshipchinadisagreementdisputegooglegoogle searchgoogle.cnGoogleSearchgreat firewallgreat firewall of chinaGreatFirewallGreatFirewallOfChinali yizhongLiYizhongnegotiationssearchsearch resultsSearchResultsFri, 12 Mar 2010 06:24:00 EST<![CDATA[PC exports to China to potentially be blocked due to pirated filtering software]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/16/pc-exports-to-china-to-potentially-be-blocked-due-to-pirated-fil/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/16/pc-exports-to-china-to-potentially-be-blocked-due-to-pirated-fil/http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/16/pc-exports-to-china-to-potentially-be-blocked-due-to-pirated-fil/#commentsWe're not exactly supportive of the Chinese government requiring new PCs to be imported with content-filtering software, but like we keep saying, karma's a bitch: CyberSitter developer Solid Oak says it's found stolen code inside the Green Dam Youth Escort filtering software mandated by Chinese authorities, and it's considering filing a lawsuit to halt shipments. In the meantime, the company has asked heavy hitters like Dell and HP to refrain from installing Green Dam; Dell says it's still reviewing the Chinese requirements and hasn't yet shipped any machines with the software, but some nine million copies of the software have already gone out. For its part, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has "ordered the problem be fixed," but it's unclear when that'll happen -- and it still doesn't change the delicious multilayered irony of Chinese censorship efforts being thwarted by a copyright infringement action.

Update: Things were getting a little out of control down there, so we've disabled comments on this one.

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PC exports to China to potentially be blocked due to pirated filtering software originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>censorshipchinacybersitterfilteringgreat firewall of chinaGreatFirewallOfChinagreen damGreen Dam Youth EscortGreenDamGreenDamYouthEscortinternet filteringInternetFilteringlawsuitlegalsolid oakSolidOakTue, 16 Jun 2009 02:18:00 EST<![CDATA[CCC's "Freedom Stick" circumvents China's firewall, just in time for The Games]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/08/cccs-freedom-stick-circumvents-chinas-firewall-just-in-time/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/08/cccs-freedom-stick-circumvents-chinas-firewall-just-in-time/http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/08/cccs-freedom-stick-circumvents-chinas-firewall-just-in-time/#comments
Rumor has it that a large quantity of genetically-superior human beings are amassing in Beijing at the moment and attempting to squeeze into spandex-like outfits for your entertainment. Those interested in watching such tight-outfitted goings on are going to find themselves faced with even tighter internet restrictions when they get back to their hotel room or local internet cafe, thanks to that handy dandy Great Firewall of China. Lucky for them, the Chaos Computer Club has prepped a solution called the "Freedom Stick" which when plugged into a computer redirects its internet traffic over The Onion Router, a worldwide network of anonymous computers designed to hide your steps. Naturally, you can just download the software yourself, but the $30 USB dongle could come in handy if you're not on your own PC, or just want to leave behind material evidence of your indiscretion. The Freedom Stick will only be available through the duration of the Olympics, so get one while you can.

[Via Wired]

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CCC's "Freedom Stick" circumvents China's firewall, just in time for The Games originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cccchaos computer clubChaosComputerClubfreedom stickFreedomStickgreat firewallgreat firewall of chinaGreatFirewallGreatFirewallOfChinaolympicsFri, 08 Aug 2008 11:26:00 EST