Google has announced that it will be considering closing up its operations in China (permalink).
In summary, after an attack on its corporate infrastructure that originated from China, Google is considering withdrawing from the Chinese market. The attack was not limited to Google and also targeted many other companies from different sectors. The attack on Google was an attempt to gain access to the accounts of persons who are advocates of human rights in China. While the majority of the attack failed, Google reported that basic account information, such as: the name on the account; when the account was created; and email subject line information, may have been compromised for dozens of accounts.
It will be interesting to see how this move by Google unfolds. I wonder if exiting the Chinese market is a viable option for any company in our globalized economy. I also wonder if the Google’s request to run an uncensored search site in China will be dismissed immediately or considered by the Chinese government.
