The Google Blog has a fascinating blog post about a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack” on Google’s servers. It originated from China and they believe the primary goal was “accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.” Here is Google’s explanation and response:
In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. [...] As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses–including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors–have been similarly targeted. [..]
We have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.
Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users’ computers.
They continue:
We have taken the unusual step of sharing information about these attacks with a broad audience not just because of the security and human rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech. [...]
These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
I applaud Google for sharing this information publicly and deciding not to censor their results, even though they will likely lose money over this. And I say that as a shareholder!
Wow. Google isn’t some faceless corporation and is fighting the good fight. Right on, Google. Right on.
Maybe next they’ll deal with the false DMCA problem on Youtube!
A step in the right direction to be sure.
We wish.
Amen to this.
Wow, maybe Google is finally starting to take their unofficial motto seriously! (Don’t be evil)
I am impressed – and I say that as somebody who bloody hates Google!
Just wow.
I like Google and I am scared by the fact that I like it.
This makes me feel a bit less worry about having gmail, but I will wait to see what Google will actually do beyond words.
I’d suggest slashdot for more informed (and cynical) commentary:
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/01/12/2329231/Google-Hacked-May-Pull-Out-of-China?art_pos=6
Its about time. Very interesting to hear their justification for allowing the Chinese Government to censor pages and search results.I first started using flickr when i visited China in the summer of 2007. Halfway through our visit, flickr suddenly stopped working and i only found out when i came home that it was blocked in China because pictures of a public protest had been posted on it.The communist party survives because the people in different parts of this vast country dont know about each others struggles.The complicity of Google in this is a vital factor
The reasons they gave did have some weight to them. First a company like google can’t just decide which laws they are and aren’t going to follow anymore than you as an individual can. Imagine if they decided that they didn’t support certain laws in America and just started violating them. It doesn’t terribly matter which laws, as one can make moral arguments against a lot of them. Sure, we can say that we violate Chinese laws because of freedom, but does that make us any better than people who violate the law and refuse to hire minorities (black, mexican, etc) because of their moral beliefs?
The second reason was that some information is better than no information. If they don’t follow the laws of China then there will be no google at all in China. They felt that they could do more good by abiding by the laws than by protesting and not being in China at all.
I don’t agree with their positions, as I believe that things like freedom and civil liberties are more important than laws, but they are decent positions.
“Very interesting to hear their justification for allowing the Chinese Government to censor pages and search results”
Because Google’s number one priority is to make money?
About 15 years ago, the American political class (both Democrat and Republican) told us that a free trade agreement would create a more democratic China. They were wrong.
It certainly made a more prosperous China, though. I’m not sure the same could be said of the U.S.
actually we got about the same deal, less freedom, more prosperity. plus now we have a friend who can cover all the bad checks our companies write!