Speaking to Media at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, Schmidt confirmed google.cn was back online. “Officially, what I can say is: we will continue to meet with the Government to address their concerns, and we wish to communicate directly with them in regard to our services and progress in addressing this problem.”
China’s crackdown on Google is the latest move in its recent efforts to crackdown on pornography. Earlier in June, the government issued a directive requiring the installation of Green Dam Youth Escort software on Chinese computers as of 1 July.
The software aims to protect youth from pornography and other inappropriate materials.
However, the Chinese Government has come under intense criticism both inside and outside China. Critics argue that the software will enable the government to increase its censorship of content accessible to the more than 300 million Chinese people who currently use the internet.
Schmidt said that it was at their “peril” that governments attempted to impose blackouts on media such as TV, internet, radio and mobile phones.
He added that the search giant, which owns video-sharing website YouTube, consistently tried to explain to regimes that restrict communication that, ultimately, attempts to isolate a population fail.
“We have lots of lawyers, lawyers in every one of these countries,” Schmidt said. “We explain if they do this
China’s crackdown on Google is the latest move in its recent efforts to crackdown on pornography. Earlier in June, the government issued a directive requiring the installation of Green Dam Youth Escort software on Chinese computers as of 1 July.
The software aims to protect youth from pornography and other inappropriate materials.
However, the Chinese Government has come under intense criticism both inside and outside China. Critics argue that the software will enable the government to increase its censorship of content accessible to the more than 300 million Chinese people who currently use the internet.
Schmidt said that it was at their “peril” that governments attempted to impose blackouts on media such as TV, internet, radio and mobile phones.
He added that the search giant, which owns video-sharing website YouTube, consistently tried to explain to regimes that restrict communication that, ultimately, attempts to isolate a population fail.
“We have lots of lawyers, lawyers in every one of these countries,” Schmidt said. “We explain if they do this
what will happen. Sometimes they moderate their behaviour and sometimes not. If they don’t listen to us it is at their peril.”
Schmidt expanded on this point: “By ‘peril’ I mean it is what the citizens will do, citizens can no longer be restricted by the kind of strategies evil dictatorships [use]... you can't keep people in the dark.”
Schmidt said he hoped that the many clips of violent protest scenes in Iran, for example, posted on YouTube – in many cases the only footage available following reporting bans for international media – had helped to “moderate an over-reaction by the government”.
“The internet is the strongest force for individual self-expression ever invented,” Schmidt said.
“Governments around the world, even democratically elected, have difficulty with [the flow of] information online. Dictatorships and closed communities one after the other will try and shut down communication from inside. Strategies governments use trying to shut down people’s speech are terrible strategies and will not succeed,” he added.
Schmidt expanded on this point: “By ‘peril’ I mean it is what the citizens will do, citizens can no longer be restricted by the kind of strategies evil dictatorships [use]... you can't keep people in the dark.”
Schmidt said he hoped that the many clips of violent protest scenes in Iran, for example, posted on YouTube – in many cases the only footage available following reporting bans for international media – had helped to “moderate an over-reaction by the government”.
“The internet is the strongest force for individual self-expression ever invented,” Schmidt said.
“Governments around the world, even democratically elected, have difficulty with [the flow of] information online. Dictatorships and closed communities one after the other will try and shut down communication from inside. Strategies governments use trying to shut down people’s speech are terrible strategies and will not succeed,” he added.
