According to news reports, Google is getting closer to shutting down its search engine in China. This news comes, after the negotiations between Google and Chinese Government failed.
Google had threatened to halt its operations in China, following a targeted cyber attack on Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists in December. Google announced on Jan.12 that it was planning to give all its users open access to the internet. Since then, Google has been negotiating with the Chinese Government, as this move would clash with the Chinese censorship laws. This situation has resulted in a deadlock and reports suggest that the Chinese Government has started informing news sites in the country about Google’s exit.
However, Google’s spokesperson declined to comment on the negotiations, but Jill Hazelbaker, spokeswoman for Google said that the announcement would be made soon in weeks, and not in months. Shares of Google fell by 3% in the morning trade whereas shares of rival Baidu soared 7%. China is one of the few markets where Google does not dominate the search market.
It is being assumed that Microsoft won’t suffer too much with its stay in China and continue to censor search results. However, it is said that this may bring some bad press to Microsoft, with plenty of widespread criticism.
