Google Moving Search Records Out of China

Google Moving Search Records Out of China

malebolgia on 02 March 2006 - 15:15 · 15 comments & 3451 views

Advertisement (Why?)

In an effort to protect users of its Google.cn Web site, Google is moving search records out of China and into the United States, a company executive said this week. Google.cn is a version of the company's search engine that is hosted in China and adheres to Chinese censorship laws. It was launched in January.

The Mountain View, California, company has decided to store search records from the site outside that country, however, in order to prevent China's government from accessing the data without Google's consent, said Peter Norvig, Google's director of research, speaking at a panel discussion at Santa Clara University earlier this week. "We didn't want to be in the position of having to hand over these kinds of records to the government," he said.

News source: PCWorld.com

About the Author

Full name: Unknown
User name: malebolgia
Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: View All
More: View Profile

Post a comment · Send to friend Comments · There are 15 additional comments

(5 replies) #1 RudyJ on 02 Mar 2006 - 15:24

But sooner or later if they really set their mind to it, CIA, FBI, NSA or whatever 'security' related office will get their hands on all that data and then what...............if they want it bad enough they WILL get it make no mistake about that. And that's why I have always been bothered about Google storing every little thing you do when you use their 'services', wrong conclusions are easily drawn when there's a need for it, or even when that need isn't there. My motto: better be safe than sorry in cases like these. And NO I don't have anything to hide, I just value my privacy too much to use Google.

#1.1 sphbecker on 02 Mar 2006 - 16:13

Its not a matter of setting their mind to it. It would just take a simple sapina. The point is that Google is more comfortable with US Law then they are with Chinees Law.

#1.2 Croquant on 02 Mar 2006 - 18:52

It's a Subpoena, not a sapina. Oh, and the Chinese don't like being called Chinees, ok?
Now look sad and go buy a dictionary.

Google ought to move entire operation out of China and then tell the chinese government where they can stuff their censorship laws.

#1.3 Octol on 02 Mar 2006 - 23:39

"wrong conclusions are easily drawn when there's a need for it"

Ain't that the truth! You see a news headline about terrorism and do a search on it and — voilà — you have some kind of terrorist connection for whomever is looking for it.

Sucks. :-(

#1.4 Jugalator on 03 Mar 2006 - 07:30

"But sooner or later if they really set their mind to it, CIA, FBI, NSA or whatever 'security' related office will get their hands on all that data and then what"

Sure, this is possible being a US company, not that it has anything to do with this move. It's not like this article is saying Google is trying to make it harder for the US gov't. The same also goes with Yahoo! and MSN Search's records, and I doubt you can use any good search engine without leaving traces after yourself. Heck, a whole lot of your web site visits are logged on the owners servers to be left out anytime they have to.

#1.5 RudyJ on 03 Mar 2006 - 11:18

I was talking about the fact that the US governement is just as bad as the Chinese, they are just far more sneaky about it, and Google collects far far far more data than any other search engine. I do realise that you leave tracks when online, it's just the amount and detail of information that is gathered that makes me steer clear of Google.

(1 reply) #2 _Dom_ on 02 Mar 2006 - 15:26

so is this a u turn? thought the whole reason for censorship was for them to have servers IN china for "speed"

#2.1 Ravensworth on 02 Mar 2006 - 16:48

It didn't say they were moving the servers out of China, just the search records.

#3 exit on 02 Mar 2006 - 16:59

China may move Google out of China

#4 jwjw1 on 02 Mar 2006 - 18:16

China don't need them records...they got thousands of 'hopsings' running around the Country...ready to snitch on someone at the drop of a dime.

(1 reply) #5 frogworm on 02 Mar 2006 - 19:26

lets see how this affected their stock price... /me claps for Google

#5.1 Jugalator on 03 Mar 2006 - 07:36

Hardly at all... It's just a precaution; it doesn't make things easier for Chinese users right now, and isn't that big news to be honest. It's not even certain the Chinese government would try to get these search records from Google in the first place.

(1 reply) #6 Dark_INk on 03 Mar 2006 - 06:37

good news.
sadly china's already here. resistance is futile

#6.1 freeeekyyy on 05 Mar 2006 - 03:58

This is about Google.cn, not Google.com

#7 Unwonted on 04 Mar 2006 - 16:35

The US is light years ahead of China in civil rights issues. Look at the news/congressional flurry that whipped up when someone thought that the NSA wiretaps may have been illegal, even when they were wiretapping incoming calls from known terrorists! You wouldn't see that in China. They do as they please in both search and seizure of personal property, especially when it comes to finding dissidents to imprison.

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Advertisement (Why?)

Neowin.net

Google Moving Search Records Out of China

Share this Article

About the Author

Related news