Google exited the business of censorship today, redirecting traffic to google.cn for Search, News and Images, including mobile traffic, to google.com.hk from which I grabbed (and subsequently touched up subtly) the picture of Tankman to my right. As of the time of my posting this, China is not blocking its citizens from accessing Google’s Hong Kong site for Search, News, Images, Gmail and Ads while fully blocking Youtube, Sites and Blogger and partially filtering Docs, Picasa and Groups. Judging by the activity I’m seeing on Google Maps, Google Buzz is working fine. Trying to reach some of them for comment but they’re probably asleep. Better fire up my Android Google Translate app.
Update! Read my new Buzz transcripts from China by hitting …click here to read more here or preferably at the bottom! Sample buzz in response to my question about believing their news media:
李鹏 – nothing is true in the newspaper, all written by people, with their own understanding.just information.find the truth by our own mind.11:11 am
biAji ̃ – @doug absolutly not. I’m sure no one live in this planet believe everything in newspaper.1:02 pm
So Google wasn’t bluffing, their stock didn’t tank today (actually it’s up in after hours trading) and I’m proud to see them make this move finally. Up to Beijing how to handle this. I imagine they’ll drum up more rhetoric about Google and the US, have their journalists write negatively about Google’s bad manners but without filtering any further the Hong Kong site than they currently are. To eyeball that, here’s the status page. And here’s the press release.
What’s up now, Beijing? Let me guess, shame on us for being so arrogant and defiant with our big companies meddling in your affairs? This will help your own Internet companies thrive? Something like that? Good luck pedaling that crap, maybe your people will keep buying it. Be grateful they didn’t redirect it to Taiwan. Bravo Google. Cue face saving posturing music from the Orient.
I had better attempt to clarify China’s arrangement with Hong Kong though I may only confuse you more. China has autonomous areas. They call Hong Kong and Macau Special Autonomous Regions which are afforded full responsibility for governing themselves with exception to anything involving diplomacy (which I suppose could extend to Googlegate) and national defense. Such regions have their own legal systems and China keeps their distance. Basically China is to Hong Kong and Macau as the States are to Indian reservations.
It’s getting close to 7am in China (the whole place has the same time zone) and people are starting to go online and right now their government is not blocking the Hong Kong site for Web searching, image searching, news and Gmail (but still is for Youtube and the others I listed). Will the country topple with anarchy if too many people get the scoop on what happened with the man in the picture if the government doesn’t put a stop to it?
Doug Simmons
Update: Buzzing it up with anyone I can find on the streets of Beijing who’s not afraid of what will happen to their families if they respond to my buzz with information on the reaction of the PEOPLE. Read more for Buzz transcripts which are in progress.
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Today, BlueAnt Wireless announced its first application for Android mobile phones. The BlueAnt Q1 Android application will allow text messages to be announced and read aloud directly into BlueAnt’s Q1 headset. This will significantly enhance the truly hands-free experience of the Q1 and build upon the industry’s most advanced voice controlled headset. The Q1 already lets users answer and make phone calls and operate the device with spoken commands and delivers voice prompts to confirm device settings and provide user guidance. Pretty impressive stuff but now users will be able to do even more.
