Google China: A History of Reentry Attempts and Controversies

Google China's journey has been marked by numerous reentry attempts and controversies. Google first launched Google China in 2006, but shut down its operations in 2010 due to censorship concerns.

The company's initial attempt to operate in China was met with significant challenges. Google faced pressure from the Chinese government to censor its search results, which led to a heated debate about the company's values.

Google's decision to leave China was a major blow to the country's tech industry. The company's exit was seen as a loss for Chinese users, who were no longer able to access Google's services.

In 2018, Google announced its return to China with the launch of Google Search in the country. This move was met with skepticism by many, who questioned the company's commitment to its values.

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Google China moved to Keji Building in the Tsinghua Science Park in 2005, where it rented two floors.

Kai-Fu Lee, a former Microsoft executive, joined Google in 2005 and became the president of Google China on the same day.

Google launched its China-based google.cn search page in January 2006, with results subject to censorship by the Chinese government.

From 2006 to 2009, Google faced censorship issues in China, including the blocking of YouTube and other online services.

Google's Chinese name was officially announced as "谷歌" (The Chinese character version of GǔGē) in Beijing in April 2006.

The office of Google China was a ten-floor building in Kejian Building in the Tsinghua Science Park from September 2006 until August 2016.

Kai-Fu Lee left Google China in September 2009 to start a venture fund, amid debate about the Chinese government's censorship policies.

Google China moved its headquarters from Tsinghua Science Park to Rongke Information Center in August 2016.

Google China held the Google Developer Day China 2016 in December 2016, announcing the creation of a developer website for mainland Chinese developers.

Google China announced TensorFlow China in August 2017, a project that aims to make artificial intelligence more accessible to Chinese developers.

Google is working on a project code-named “Dragonfly” to launch a version of its search engine in China that will block controversial search terms and some websites.

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Google China's attempts to reenter the mainland market began in 2016, when the company moved its headquarters from Tsinghua Science Park to Rongke Information Center.

Google held the Google Developer Day China 2016 in the China National Convention Center, announcing the creation of a developer website for mainland Chinese developers, including Google Developers China.

In May 2017, Google China held the Future of Go Summit with the Chinese government, marking a significant step towards reestablishing its presence in the country.

Google is reportedly working on a censored search engine, code-named "Dragonfly", to return to the Chinese market, eight years after it left due to censorship concerns.

The company had previously cited attempts to further limit free speech on the web in China as a major reason for its decision to leave in 2010.

Restrictions on speech are increasing in China, making it unlikely that Google could yield to the government's demands and still achieve significant market share.

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Google China moved its headquarters from Tsinghua Science Park to Rongke Information Center on 1 August 2016.

In December 2016, Google held the Google Developer Day China 2016 in the China National Convention Center and announced the creation of a developer website for mainland Chinese developers.

Google China announced TensorFlow China on 31 August 2017, and held the Future of Go Summit with the Chinese government in May 2017.

This marked a significant shift in Google's approach to the Chinese market, as it began to reengage with local developers and explore new opportunities.

Google China started using the ".cn" domain name again after giving up Google China, with the launch of Google Developers China, Android Developers China, and Firebase China.

The company's efforts to reenter the Chinese market were met with mixed reactions, with some experts predicting that Google's attempt to gain significant market share would be impossible.

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Google is working on a censored search engine for China, code-named "Dragonfly", which will block search terms and websites deemed sensitive by the Chinese government.

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This project has been in the works since the spring of last year, with fresh impetus after a meeting between Google's CEO Sundar Pichai and a top Chinese government official.

Google employees have anonymously confirmed the project's existence, but the Chinese government has denied any plans for Google's return.

The censored search engine will allegedly block searches related to dissent, human rights, democracy, and religion.

This move is a departure from Google's previous stance, which led to its exit from China in 2010 over censorship concerns.

Google's main search engine and other western sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are currently blocked in China.

The Chinese government's "Great Firewall" is used to control violent and pornographic content, but also to stymie online dissent.

Search terms related to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, the Dalai Lama, or other sensitive issues are blocked in China.

Google's effort to create a censored version of its search engine may pave the way for its reentry into the Chinese market.

However, attracting a share of China's 772 million internet users won't be easy, with Baidu controlling 74 percent of the search engine market share.

Google will also need approval from the Chinese government, which may prove difficult, especially with escalating tensions from the U.S.-China trade war.

Amnesty International has expressed concerns about Google's potential return, saying it will be a "dark day for internet freedom" if the company acquiesces to China's censorship rules.

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Google China served a market of mainland Chinese Internet users that was estimated in July 2009 to number 338 million, up from 45.8 million in June 2002. Google China had a significant market share in China, initially reaching 29% in 2010, but this declined to 5% by October 2012 and further to 1.7% in 2013.

In 2010, Google China had a market share of 29% in China, according to Analysys International. Google China launched a music download service, Google Music, in August 2008, but was later unable to compete with domestic search engines.

Google is working on a new project called "Dragonfly" to launch a version of its search engine in China that would block controversial search terms and some websites.

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Google China initially served a massive market of mainland Chinese Internet users, estimated to be 338 million in July 2009, a significant increase from 45.8 million in June 2002.

The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) reported a much higher number of users in 2001, at 22.5 million, which was higher than Iamasia's estimate.

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Google China launched a music download service, Google Music, in August 2008, expanding its offerings to Chinese users.

In 2010, Google China held a market share of 29% in China, according to Analysys International.

However, by October 2012, Google China's market share had declined to 5%, and it continued to drop to 1.7% in 2013.

Google's foray into China began in 2006, when it launched its China-based search page, google.cn, with results subject to censorship by the Chinese government.

Google officially entered the Chinese mainland market in April 2006, with Eric Schmidt announcing its Chinese name as "谷歌" (The Chinese character version of GǔGē) in Beijing.

Google's office in China was located in a ten-floor building in Kejian Building in the Tsinghua Science Park from September 2006 until August 2016.

In 2009, China blocked access to Google's YouTube site due to footage showing Chinese security forces beating Tibetans, and access to other Google online services was being denied to users arbitrarily.

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Google's gamble in China is now focused on artificial intelligence, with the company holding publicity stunts like the AlphaGo match and an AI-powered "Guess the Sketch" game on WeChat.

Google has established a Beijing AI lab and is promoting Chinese use of TensorFlow, an artificial-intelligence software library developed by the Google Brain team.

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Google launched its China-based google.cn search page in January 2006, with results subject to censorship by the Chinese government.

In 2006, Google's Global CEO Eric Schmidt announced Google's Chinese name as "谷歌" (The Chinese character version of GǔGē) in Beijing, marking Google's official entry into the Chinese mainland market.

Google's decision to comply with China's Internet censorship laws sparked controversy, with critics viewing it as a capitulation to the "Golden Shield Project".

Google argued that participating in China's IT industry was more useful to the cause of free speech than refusing to comply and being denied admission to the mainland Chinese market.

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Google set up computer systems inside China that tried to access websites outside the country, and if a site was inaccessible, it was added to Google China's blacklist.

In June 2006, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said that virtually all of Google's customers in China were using the non-censored version of their website.

However, Google critics in the United States claimed that Google China was a flagrant violation of the Google motto, "Don't be evil".

In 2009, China blocked access to Google's YouTube site due to footage showing Chinese security forces beating Tibetans, and access to other Google online services was being denied to users arbitrarily.

Google left China in 2010, but it's now reportedly working on a censored search engine, code-named "Dragonfly", which would filter out results related to topics like democracy and human rights deemed sensitive by Beijing.

Amnesty International released a statement saying it would be a "dark day for internet freedom" if Google had acquiesced to China's extreme censorship rules.

Google's decision to return to China with a censored search engine has been met with skepticism, with some experts predicting that it's unlikely to succeed due to Beijing's growing limits on free speech.

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Google faced a significant blockage in China in November 2012, with GreatFire.Org reporting that all Google domains, including Google search, Gmail, and Google Maps, became inaccessible.

The blockage was reportedly the tightest censorship ever deployed, with Google services in all countries, encrypted or not, being blocked in China.

Google tried to circumvent the block by redirecting search results from mainland China to its Hong Kong website, but the Chinese authorities caught on and blocked the Hong Kong site by making users wait 90 seconds for banned results.

In 2009, Google had a significant market share in China, with one-third of all searches being on Google.

By 2013, Google's market share had dropped to just 1.7%.

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Google's history with censorship in China began in 2006 when it launched a censored search page, google.cn, with results subject to the Chinese government's approval.

In January 2006, Google News was renamed to Google Information in Simplified Chinese, a move that marked the beginning of its efforts to comply with China's censorship laws.

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Google's office in China was a ten-floor building in the Tsinghua Science Park from September 2006 until August 2016.

The Chinese government blocked access to YouTube in 2009 due to footage of Chinese security forces beating Tibetans, and access to other Google services was denied arbitrarily.

Google added a feature in 2012 to warn users about censored keywords in China, but a glitch allowed access to Google in 2017, which was soon blocked again.

Google is reportedly working on a new censored search engine, code-named Dragonfly, that would block searches related to sensitive topics like democracy and human rights.

This move has sparked concerns about Google's commitment to free speech, with Amnesty International calling it a "dark day for internet freedom."

Google left China in 2010 after a hacking attack on them and other US tech companies, and they announced they would no longer censor searches in China.

The company redirected all search queries from Google.cn to Google.com.hk in Hong Kong, which returned results without censorship.

Google's Internet mail service, Gmail, and Chrome, Google-based search inquiries, along with most Google services except those provided by google.cn, has been blocked in mainland China since 27 May 2014.

However, in 2016, Google China announced the creation of a developer website for mainland Chinese developers, including Google Developers China, Android Developers China, and Firebase China.

Google China has been working on plans to launch a version of its search engine in China that will block controversial search terms and some websites, a project code-named "Dragonfly".

In January 2010, Google announced it would no longer censor searches in China and would pull out of the country if necessary.

Google started redirecting all search queries from Google.cn to Google.com.hk in Hong Kong, which returned results without censorship, as Hong Kong had independent judicial power and was not subject to most Chinese laws.

On 30 March 2010, searching via all Google search sites in all languages was banned in mainland China, resulting in a DNS error.

The ban was lifted the next day, but the automatic redirect of Google China to Google Hong Kong ended on 30 June 2010.

Google placed a link to Google Hong Kong to avoid their Internet Content Provider (ICP) license being revoked.

The fact that Google had ended some of its services in China, and the reasons for it, were censored in China.

In 2013, Google stopped displaying warning messages for mainland Chinese users who were attempting to search for politically sensitive phrases.

In 2014, the Chinese government blocked virtually all Google services in China, including Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Scholar, catching Google off guard.

This move marked a significant shift in the balance of power between Google and the Chinese government.

Services like Meituan flourished in China's thriving tech scene, while Tencent's super-app WeChat became a digital Swiss Army knife.

E-commerce behemoth Alibaba went public on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2014, selling $25 billion worth of shares.

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Google's efforts to return to China were met with resistance, with reports of a planned Google Play app store and mobile-app store launch failing to materialize.

Google did, however, partner with Mobvoi, a Chinese smart-watch maker, to make voice search available on Android Wear in China.

Google later invested in Mobvoi, its first direct investment in China since 2010.

Google's research center in China was a public symbol of its continued efforts to gain a foothold in the country.

However, Google was also working quietly to accommodate Chinese government restrictions, including the censored-search-engine prototype, Dragonfly.

Dragonfly would blacklist key search terms and link users' searches to their mobile-phone number, opening the door to greater surveillance.

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