More than half a year after Google announced that it would stop censoring its content in China, it’s still hard to say whether the move did more to help or hurt free access of information within the country. Though users in China may still access Google’s overseas websites, access is inconsistent and unstable, with the Chinese site being occasionally blocked by the mechanisms of the so-called Great Firewall. Still, Ross LaJeunesse, Google’s head of government affairs in Asia, says the company continues to push for more freedom in China as part of its government relations strategy.
“I believe strongly that Google is fighting the good fight in China, in Asia and around the globe,” Mr. LaJeunesse said at a recent lecture at the University of Hong Kong. “And we’ll keep fighting because if we don’t, there’s a very real danger that the Internet will look a lot different in the future than it does today.”
Mr. LaJeunesse said the Chinese are fighting back against censorship. Chinese opposition to implementing a monitoring software called Green Dam Youth Escort, for instance, forced the government to stop funding the initiative in July.
Even though 30% of the world’s population is online, many governments have been wary to welcome the Internet unfettered. In the 100 countries Google operates in, about 25 have blocked various Google products, from YouTube to Blogger, Mr. LaJeunesse said. In China, Iran and North Korea, YouTube is blocked entirely.
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