China blocking Google

China appears to have blocked access to the popular search engine, Google.
The site was repeatedly inaccessible when tested by BBC News Online using a system developed by researchers at the Harvard Law School.

Google has become popular among users in China because of its simplicity and ability to run searches in the Chinese language.

China maintains tight controls on the internet, blocking several foreign news sites and frequently forcing domestic sites to remove controversial material.

Keeping control

Analysts say this is the first time Beijing has blocked access to an internet search engine.

It comes ahead of a Communist Party congress in November which is expected to see sweeping changes to the country's leadership.

Google is a very important tool for me and many other Chinese people - Chinese webmaster

Internet use in China is growing fast. Last month, the Chinese Government said that 45.8 million people were online.

Google is becoming a top choice for searching Chinese sites, say experts.

"It's a very, very popular tool and there's a major hassle factor," said Duncan Clark, head of Beijing-based technology consultancy BDA China.

"But ultimately, in the run up to something like the Party congress, it's batten down the hatches," he said.

The ban is being widely debated on the web. On an online forum, a Chinese webmaster wrote: "Google is a very important tool for me and many other Chinese people."

"Please tell the world, that we need Google, or Yahoo or something else that's useful to do the research. We don't care about politics, but please help us to reach Google."

Another contributor to a web forum said he used Google for research, not politics.

"I'm currently in China right now on a project, and coding without Google is not easy," he said, "especially since there isn't any English bookstore I can run over to while I'm here to pick up a tech manual."

Traffic monitoring

Beijing is determined to keep strict controls on the flow of information to its own citizens.

Human rights activists say more than 30,000 people are employed to keep an eye on websites, chat rooms and private e-mail messages.

Some 150,000 unlicensed internet cafes nationwide have been closed in recent months and those remaining have had to install software that prevents access to up to 500,000 banned sites.

There has been no official announcement from Beijing and Google officials in California could not be reached for comment.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2231101.stm