I used to have a lot of time and respect for Google – their search is cool, super-quick, and the results have never been dictated by advertisers.

Now, however, Google appears to be bowing to pressure because in its recently launched Chinese language version of Google News, Google omits news sources and internet sites deemed inappropriate by the Chinese government from its results.. These include both Chinese and foreign news sites carrying reports that criticise the Chinese government.

This news was broken in a New Scientist article on 21st September 2004.

Google claimed in a response on the 27th of September that, it is not really significant as it is blocking “less than two percent of Chinese news sources” Рof course the number is small, what with everyone blocking them and the government actively suppressing them!

Shame on you Google for, not just condoning this activity, but for actively perpetuating this behaviour.