Censorship

China did not erase Google from the Internet on Tuesday, but it did take a few steps in response to Google's decision to move its search engine to Hong Kong on Monday.

Chinese Internet users can still access Google.com.hk, calming fears of those who thought China would impose the same total ban on Google search that it has long had on services like Blogger and YouTube a day after Google announced its new plan for China. But in some cases, users are being prevented from clicking through to Web sites listed in search results for sensitive topics.… Read more

The one-company, two-systems concept didn't work for Google in China. It's not clear how long having one system will work, either.

In following through on its very public threat to shut down its censored Chinese-language search engine on Monday, Google ended months of speculation about its plans following its January announcement that it had been hacked by cybercriminals working from inside China. And in the same moment that Google started redirecting traffic from Google.cn to Google.com.hk and its Hong Kong-based servers, a new era for Google and its operation in China began.

Hong Kong enjoys … Read more

Updated at 12:43 p.m. and at 1:26 p.m. with additional information.

Google has made its decision on China: it's moving search to Hong Kong.

Google has shut down its Google.cn site and is redirecting users to Google.com.hk, where it will offer uncensored Chinese-language search services. The company will maintain a research and development organization in China as well as a sales office, it announced Monday.

"Figuring out how to make good on our promise to stop censoring search on Google.cn has been hard," Google said in a statement. "… Read more

Editors' note: Google is moving its Chinese search to Hong Kong. Read our updated coverage here.

In advance of an expected announcement about its plans in China, Google has begun redirecting traffic to its Chinese site through Hong Kong and has removed language warning searchers of censored results from its search results pages.

MarketWatch on Monday reported that preparation for Google's possible exit from China appears to have begun. Visitors to Google.cn are now being redirected to Google.com.hk, with no mention of the shift. In addition, searches that Monday morning produced warning labels reading "according … Read more

Google may not see eye to eye with the Chinese government these days, but the company still has high hopes for its Android smartphones among Chinese users.

The search giant's chief financial officer, Patrick Pichette, spoke during a Webcast about the prospects for Android in China in the midst of heated negotiations about the future of Google.cn. According to published reports, Pichette said that as an open-source platform, Android is available to everybody and that "China is obviously another great market in which Android should flourish, so we look forward to that."

Google had been ready to unveil Android … Read more

A leaked U.S. Army intelligence report, classified as secret, says the Wikileaks Web site poses a significant "operational security and information security" threat to military operations.

Classified U.S. military information appearing on Wikileaks could "influence operations against the U.S. Army by a variety of domestic and foreign actors," says the report, prepared in 2008 by the Army Counterintelligence Center and apparently disclosed in its entirety on Monday.

The embarrassing twist: It was Wikileaks that published the 32-page document, but not before editor Julian Assange prepended a critique saying some details in the Army … Read more

China and Iran are among the world's top "Internet enemies" tagged by Reporters Without Borders for restricting Internet freedom. But even democratic countries like Australia and South Korea are raising concerns.

The fight to restrict freedom is increasingly being fought on the Internet as certain governments continue to censor what content their citizens can see online and try to target those who resist such efforts. The current skirmish between Google and China over filtering search results is just one example.

But it's not only repressive regimes like China that are the culprits, according to a report (… Read more

The Chinese government has warned Google business partners to prepare for a day when they can't use Google services such as a search bar on their Web sites, according to a New York Times report Sunday.

Google has significant if not dominant share of the search market in China, but decided after a hacking attack that targeted human rights activists to cease censorship even if it means shutting down its Chinese operations.

If Google did shut down those services, business partners such as Sina.com.cn and Ganji.com that offer a Google-powered search box would have to either … Read more

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday called for Internet regulations and demanded that authorities crack down on a news Web site he accused of spreading false information, according to media reports.

"The Internet cannot be something open where anything is said and done. No, every country has to apply its own rules and norms," Chavez said during a televised speech, according to reports by Reuters and the Associated Press.

Chavez singled out Noticiero Digital, a Venezuelan news Web site he said falsely reported the assassination of one of his ministers.

"We have to act. We are going … Read more