google.com google.com (Simplified Chinese language interface) google.com.tw google.cn Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) "NoLuv4Google" Campaign Search Shi Tao Illegally providing state secrets November 23, 2014 HRIC Trends Bulletin on "China's Environment and Situation of Water" HRIC Statement for Tibetan Uprising Day: "March 10: Out of Exile, Into the Streets!" Where's Hu Now?: Let your voice be heard on Hu Jintao's U.S. visit HRIC Comments on HR 4780: Global Online Freedom Act of 2006 Li Zhi Appellate Ruling: English translation HRIC Testimony to "Monitoring Respect for Human Rights" Articles Alert: Feb 2006 HRIC Trends Bulletin: Media Crackdowns in China HRIC Testimony to "Internet in China" Congressional Hearing		Change text size Print this page Google.cn: Not too late for corporate leadership On January 25, 2006, Google Inc. launched google.cn, a Chinese version of its search engine which filters and self-censors results from searches on terms deemed politically sensitive by the Chinese authorities. Google joins a host of other leading technology companies, including Microsoft and Yahoo, who have bowed to Chinese government demands in attempts to gain ground among the growing Chinese online population. Rather than exercising corporate leadership, these companies and others have instead engaged in "a race to the bottom," making concessions that curtail freedom of expression and access to information in China. Additional analysis on Google and google.cn can be found in the "Filtering the searches" section. HRIC Comparative Survey On January 26, 2006, HRIC conducted several Web search queries on google.com (both English and Simplified Chinese language interfaces), google.cn, and google.com.tw. Google.com.tw, Google's Taiwanese search engine, was included in order to present a wider spectrum of results from another search engine which also targets Chinese-speaking users. HRIC looked at both general subjects and current 'hot topics'. The searches used both English and Chinese search terms, concentrating on the latter as the majority of search engine users would be entering Chinese queries. It is worth noting that google.cn offers four search options. Users can search among: "Web sites" (网页), "Chinese language Web sites" (所有中文网页), "Simplified Chinese language Web sites" (简体中文网页), or "Web sites in China" (中国的网页) Certain searches (for example, Chinese language searches on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the Dalai Lama and Falun Gong) restrict users to using the "Web sites in China" search; users are apparently not able to search all Web sites on the Internet for these terms. The following chart compares the results of HRIC's tests, conducted from outside of China, looking in general at the first ten results of each query. Queries such as "Tiananmen" and "Falun Gong" are obvious to be censored, and were confirmed to be by HRIC and other group's findings. However, one of the greater threats of the Chinese government's control on information through recognized resources such as Google lie in the reduced spectrum of information available for other sensitive topics and issues that affect mainland Chinese citizens. For example, attempts to find diverse discussions and information on Re-education through Labor (劳动教养), investigative reports from 'rights defenders' groups (维权), unbiased information on China's use of the death penalty (死刑), and more. Although queries on such English language terms as 'Tiananmen' and 'Dalai Lama' appear to return diverse results, it should be remembered that the majority of mainland Chinese users will not be searching on English language queries. In addition, not all Web sites presented as results in google.cn searches will be reachable from within mainland China, due to additional filtering and censorship. Expected search results, given the known diversity of Web sites. Search results that have obviously been censored and filtered. Unexpected results; censorship that can be circumvented by English speakers. Users are restricted to searching on "Web sites in China" (中国的网页). Search Query google.com google.com (Chinese interface) google.cn google.com.tw HRIC HRIC's Web site is the #1 result HRIC's Web site is the #2 result HRIC's Web site is not found in first 100 results HRIC's Web site is the #2 result 中国人权 ['Human rights in china' in Chinese] Three of HRIC's Web sites are among the first ten results HRIC's Web site is the #3 result HRIC's Web site is not found in first 100 results; the majority of the results are government sponsored information sources HRIC's Web site is the #1 result; the remaining results reflect information from diverse sources, including PRC and Taiwan websites 维权 ['Rights defenders' in Chinese.][1] Diverse results, including Chinese government sites and others. Diverse results, including Chinese government sites and others. Unlike google.com searches, well-regarded and active groups such as GMWQ (公民维权) are not highly ranked. Diverse results, including Chinese government sites and others. 死刑 ['Death penalty' in Chinese.] Diverse results, including sites created by Chinese students in the U.S. and the U.S. embassy to Beijing. Diverse results, including sites created by Chinese students in the U.S., the sites in Taiwan and Japan. Similar results, but lacking the site created by Chinese students in the U.S. Diverse results, including sites from Hoong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan and Japan. 劳动教养 ['Re-education through Labor (RTL) in Chinese.][2] Mostly Chinese news and discussion sites and Chinese government sites. Mostly discussion sites and Chinese government sites. Mostly Chinese news and discussion sites and Chinese government sites. Web sites of human rights organizations, news, and discussion forums. No Chinese government sites. 中国共产党 ['Chinese Communist Party' in Chinese.] Diverse results including Chinese government news sites and foreign sites. Diverse results including Chinese government news sites and foreign sites. Diverse results including Chinese government news sites and foreign sites. Most results are overseas Chinese dissident sites with few Chinese government sites 法轮功 ['Falun Gong' in Chinese] Falun Gong Web sites Falun Gong Web sites Web sites attacking the Falun Gong. No Falun Gong Web sites. Falun Gong websites Tiananmen Square Web sites on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown Web sites on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown Searching on the "Web sites" option, returns Web sites on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Searching on the "Web sites in China" option, returns tourism Web sites. Web sites on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown 六四天安门事件 ['Tiananmen Square incident' in Chinese] Web sites on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown Web sites on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown No results directly describe the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Most results link to broken or non-existent Web sites. Web sites on the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown 多维新闻网 [Chinese name of a popular news site[3]] chinesenewsnet.com is the #1 result chinesenewsnet.com is the #1 result No results for chinesenewsnet.com chinesenewsnet.com is the #1 result 高文谦：晚年周恩来 [Translates to 'Gao Wenqian Zhou Enlai's Later Years' [4]] Diverse results Diverse results Many of the Web sites are inaccessible Diverse results 丁凱文：重審林彪罪案 [Translates to 'Ding Kai Wen, New Concepts of Lin Biao Incident'[5]] Diverse results Diverse results No results Diverse results Tibet Diverse results including the Tibetan Government in Exile's Web site Diverse results including the VOA Tibet and US Embassy in China Web sites Searching onthe "Web sites" option, returns results such as the Tibetan Government in Exile's Web site. Searching on the "Web sites in China" option, returns PRC Web sites on Tibet's tourism, geography, etc. Diverse results including the Tibetan Government in Exile's Web Site and sites calling for the release of the Panchen Lama. 西藏 ['Tibet' in Chinese.] Web sites on Tibetan independence, Tibet's tourism, geography, etc. Web sites on Tibetan independence, Tibet's tourism, geography, etc. Web sites on Tibet's tourism, geography, etc.[6] Web sites on Tibetan independence, Tibet's tourism, geography, etc. Dalai Lama Diverse results including the The Tibet Government in Exile's Web site, and PRC propaganda on Tibet Diverse results including the The Tibet Government in Exile's Web site. Searching with the "Web sites" option, the #1 result is the Tibetan Government in Exile's Web site. Searching with the "Web sites in China" option, returns criticisms of the Dalai Lama from the PRC government.[7] Diverse results including the The Tibet Government in Exile's Web site 达赖喇嘛 ['Dalai Lama' in Chinese.] Diverse results including The Office of Tibet, and Web sites with PRC propaganda on Tibet. Diverse results including The Office of Tibet, and Web sites with PRC propaganda on Tibet. Official criticisms of the Dalai Lama by the PRC government; users are not able to select the "Search all web pages" function. Diverse results on the Dalai Lama Note: The results above are a thumbnail capture of searches conducted on 1/26/2006. Search results may have changed since the survey was first conducted due to the evolving nature of the Internet, google.cn's roll out and implementation, and Chinese government policy. // ENDNOTES [1] 维权 approximately translates to 'rights defenders', and refer to domestic Chinese groups or individuals who work to better basic rights. These groups are generally more tolerated and accepted than traditional human rights groups. GWMQ (公民维权) recently published an investigative report (English, Chinese) on the Shanwei incident of December 2005, where armed forces suppressed a local protest over land rights. [2] Reeducation Through Labor (laodong jiaoyang) is a system of extra-judicial detention and punishment administratively imposed on those who are deemed to have committed minor offenses. It effectively provides the Chinese authorities with a tool to deprive people of their liberty without giving them access to legal counsel or trial. HRIC published a brief on Reform of the Reeducation through Labor System in 2005. [3] chinesenewsnet.com is a widely read overseas Chinese new source. [4] Gao Wenqian's Zhou Enlai's Later Years is recent, critical biography on former Premier Zhou Enlai; the book has been banned in China. John Pomfret's book review is available online. [5] Ding Kai Wen's New Concepts of Lin Biao Incident attempts to chronicle the truth behind the motives and rationale of Lin Biao. Lin Biao was a high ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader who has since been vilified by the CCP for his involvement in an assassination attempt on Mao Zedong. A short biography of Lin Biao is available at Wikipedia. [6] Chinese language Web sites on Tibetan independence, including the Chinese Web sites of International Campaign for Tibet, Tibet Times, and The Office of Tibet are filtered from google.cn searches. [7] While the appearance of The Government of Tibet in Exile's Web site among google.cn's search results by searching under the English query may be considered a victory in circumventing Google's concessions in censorship, it is significant to consider that most mainland Chinese Internet users will not know to search on the English query 'Dalai Lama', nor will they be able to read the English Web site. More importantly, the Office of Tibet's Web site is excluded from google.cn searches. //
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