Google have postponed the release of two "Android" mobile phones in China - see the BBC article here...and the Guardian's perspective here!
The question is: When and how will this dispute end? And what will the consequences be - for Google, it's employees in China, the Chinese public and the Chinese government?
Article from Wired Magazine reflecting on and putting into context Google's announcement to not censor the search results of "google.cn" and the likely-hood that they will be forced to abandon a market of "340 million users"!
Here are some links to articles and opinion pieces from The Guardian and The Independent newspapers about Google's decision to enter into a stand off with the Chinese authroities over the censorship of their search engine and apparent hacking of google e-mail accounts.
While I like many find China's level of regulation and censorship wrong in the extreme it does bring the "Internet Regulation Debate" right to the forefront of the news and our collective thinking - can the Internet continue to exist in its current form unregulated?
Reminder - tomorrow's double is the last lesson on Media Regulation & Censorship. You will be moving onto Media & Collective Identity with Mr Ford next week.
Please make sure you read the rest of "Electronic Child Abuse" by David Buckingham from the book: Ill Effect, BARKER et al, 2001
Then read / re-read the Google Blog Post here: "A new approach to China" and answer the following questions:
What issues / moral implications are raised by China’s “Internet Firewall”?
What do you think about the Google Blog Post: “A new approach to China”?
What links can you make between this form of censorship and the forms of censorship we have encountered in the unit so far?
How would you feel as a British citizen if our government imposed similar censorship upon us?
