Google may stop redirecting customers in China to its HK search engine

Google is expected to stop redirecting everyone using its Mainland China web site Google.cn to its Hong Kong search engine Google.com.hk, following a Chinese government diktat.

While the redirect, which offers unfiltered search in simplified Chinese, has been working well for its users and for Google, Chinese authorities find the redirect unacceptable. Chinese officials have threatened to terminate its internet licence if it continues to redirect users.

Google's China licence is due for renewal on 30 June. "Without an ICP licence, we can't operate a commercial website like Google.cn - so Google would effectively go dark in China," David Drummond, the corporate development and chief legal officer of Google, said.

A termination of licence to operate its website in the country would force Google to pull out from the largest internet market. Google had refused to censor results on Google.cn in January 2010.

Drummond, who has been the spokesman of the company ever since Google chose to confront Beijing on its rigid censorship controls, said in a blogpost posted yesterday, "We currently automatically redirect everyone using Google.cn to Google.com.hk, our Hong Kong search engine. This redirect, which offers unfiltered search in simplified Chinese, has been working well for our users and for Google.

However, it is clear from conversations we have had with Chinese government officials that they find the redirect unacceptable - and that if we continue redirecting users our internet content provider licence will not be renewed (it's up for renewal on 30 June). Without an ICP licence, we can't operate a commercial website like Google.cn - so Google would effectively go dark in China."