Microsoft Responds To Google's Threat To Pull Out of China

Keeping with the never ending theme of Google vs. China, Microsoft Chief executive Steve Ballmer says he doesn't understand Google's reaction.

“There are attacks every day. I don't think there was anything unusual, so I don't understand,” Ballmer told Reuters after a meeting at the White House.

“We're attacked every day from all parts of the world and I think everybody else is too. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary.”

Ballmer told CNBC that Microsoft had no plans to exit China: “We've been quite clear, we're going to operate in China, we're going to abide by the law.”

Of course China represents a small portion of revenues generated by Google and I'm betting the Microsoft has much more to lose, but that's only speculation.

Source: Globe and Mail

China Responds To Google's Pull Out Threat

In a response that is typical of the Chinese government, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China welcomed foreign Internet companies to operate within their country but that those offering online services must do so “in accordance with the law.” At a news conference Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, did not directly address Google’s complaints about censorship and cyberattacks, but simply stated, “China’s Internet is open.”

Wang Chen, the information director for the State Council of China was more direct saying in an interview posted on the agency’s Web site "China’s Internet is entering an important stage of development, confronting both rare opportunities and severe challenges,” he said. “Internet media must always make nurturing positive, progressive mainstream opinion an important duty.”

Source: nytimes.com

On The Official Google Blog the company states it's new approach in dealing with the country.

Great Firewall Of China Expanding

The Chinese government is said to be planning to require all PCs sold within the country to be shipped with software that blocks certain Web sites from users. Called "Green Dam-Youth Escort," the software would block access to government banned Web sites by regularly connecting to a database of banned sites and blocking access to those addresses. The government is claiming the intent is to protect young people from "harmful" content such as pornography, however recently during the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Chinese government blocked access to many social media and video sharing sites. It would appear as though their efforts at a network level are insufficient to block access to all of the content they are attempting to censor.

Source: CNet