Are You Being Monitored?China issued a scathing response to U.S. demands that it investigate the recent attacks by unidentified attackers on American computers from Chinese soil. China believes that suggestions that it condones or conducted the attack are attempts to "denigrate China". Google which issued an ultimatum after the attacks were discovered; they will leave China unless the government stops censoring its results. After Secretary of State Hilary Clinton called out China on Friday the country's response has turned. In the last few months China has become increasingly stringent on what Chinese citizens can view on the internet. An official for the State Council (which is the equivalent of American cabinet) Information Office defends China's positions as "totally correct". Harsh words came from the communist backed Global Times which said that the demands were “a U.S. government-initiated strategy with covert political intentions.” Although this appears to be a morality choice for Google, America has also done similar things such as monitoring e-mails and Internet activities after 9/11.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/world/asia/26google.html
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China has had a long history of media control and manipulation. Censoring Google is just one more way of keeping the Chinese people in line. The government is able to allow only the information that it deems is necessary for their people to know.
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