Google To Restart Talks With China 118
eldavojohn writes "Following the infamous attacks allegedly carried out by the Chinese government, Google sent a strongly worded message to China. However, despite the show of plumage, Google.cn continues to operate filtered. While both parties are silent about any resolution, Google and China have planned to restart talks and negotiations over Google operating unfiltered in China. (If you have a subscription, you can read about the story from its original source, the Wall Street Journal.) The print edition of the WSJ names Google policy executive Ross LaJeunesse as their representative meeting with Chinese officials. Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, has officially rejected the claim that the attacks were sanctioned by the Chinese government. He said, 'Google's statement from January 12 is groundless, and we are firmly opposed to it. China administers its internet according to law, and this position will not change. China prohibits hacking and will crack down on hacking according to law.'"
Re:"Talks and Negotiations"? (Score:3, Informative)
Is Google a country? Did I miss something?
Two entities discussing don't have to be of the same type. US can buy GM, MS can be sued by EU, etc...
The law Google was breaking was the law repressing some kind of political content on internet. Bad law, but law nonetheless
Re:why should China bother? (Score:5, Informative)
The Chinese people need Google. Here's why:
1. Go to Baidu.com [baidu.com]
2. Search for "falun gong"
3. Enjoy your temporary IP ban.
The internet is a great danger to any dictatorship. It allows people who are secluded to see what the outside world is really like instead of the portrait that their overlords paint for them.
Re:Google Search Language Preferences (Score:3, Informative)
I have noticed no changes. Searching in Chinese version still provides "All pages" "All Chinese pages" "All Simplified Chinese pages" as options, with "All pages" as default, regardless of language query.
The English version of Google helpfully suggests "Search English pages only" when entering a Chinese search term, with no "Written in any language" options available on the top of the search page (still available in options). When entering German search terms, same results as English search terms. Same for Russian and other non-Roman alphabets.
I would say it's bias, in that Americans generally only speak English, and don't ask for targeted language results, whereas users of localized version might have an interest in language options.