Google to encrypt web search for users in China

Google plans to encrypt its web search service for users on the Chinese mainland to fortify their privacy.

Search terms and results pages would travel over secure connections to foil the Chinese government's efforts at eavesdropping.

"The revelations of this past summer underscored our need to strengthen our networks. Among the many improvements we've made in recent months is to encrypt Google Search by default around the world," spokeswoman Niki Christoff told Washington Post in a statement.

"This builds on our work over the past few years to increase the number of our services that are encrypted by default and encourage the industry to adopt stronger security standards."

The internet search company moved its operations out of China in March 2010 protesting against attacks on itself as also other western firms, attacks the company said originated from China as the government there attempted to track dissenters to the ruling regime.

The move would frustrate the operators of the Great Firewall of China, as also others spying on Chinese internet users. Google users in the rest of the world had had encrypted search as an option for some time, and it was now the default for most users.

The move by Google could likely to the differences between the company and the Chinese government. Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt earlier pledged the company would work to end government censorship.

Google currently accounts for only 5 per cent of China's search market, with the majority of users using rival service Baidu, which could mean encryption had a limited impact.

Google had drawn up a roadmap to roll out encryption globally, although the schedule had not been publicly detailed.

The decision to start encrypting search is the direct result of Edward's Snowden's revelations about the NSA's surveillance of web traffic, according to the Post reports.

(Also see; Google blames China for cyber attacks on Gmail )