Experts say Chinese Viewpoint may be Right in the Google Affair
A few weeks back the world was virtually shocked hearing the lament of a couple of corporate giants particularly belonging to the internet segment; Google and Adobe that they were attacked by cyber-perpetrators from the mainland of China. The communist nation although has denied having any hand in the act, has not refrained from accusing Google of using its digital library to violate copyrights.
Meanwhile, despite an initial stunned response, a good number of broadband internet industry experts in the United Kingdom has started thinking that China’s act of manipulating a veiled attack on the search giant, alongside its hidden agenda of promoting its own alternative for Google; Baidu. Particularly for one main reason that the search engine could be eying a position of monopoly in the internet world, which could be potentially perilous for numerous small and medium firms that depended on the segment.
Back to the controversy, the search giant had gone public to reveal further that – even while not directly accusing the state’s communist government – it had along with Adobe traced the cyber-invasion back to a source, which enjoyed links with the government of China. Nonetheless, the crucial declaration from Google came next that it would no longer censor internet content in China. This declaration was made by the search firm citing the malice displayed by the same hostile source in hacking the Gmail accounts of the activists for human rights in China.
It is history that following the involvement of the United States State Department in the issue, China invited the search giant to resolve the problem through legal means within China. Something important here is that although China has downplayed the dispute with a view to defuse the intensity of the situation, it has also expressed its point that it did not care about the decision of Google whether to stay or quit.
Now looking at it from a different angle, one can see that the much anticipated web domination of the future world, Google has declared that it would stop the support for rival browsers such as Firefox 2.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0 and Safari 2.0, conspicuously to promote its upcoming Chrome operating system. Now, many users of internet will not complain against going along an exclusive Google internet line that packs a Google OS, browser and search engine, especially if it can provide that vital security that has been the nemesis of Microsoft’s IE.
The justice minister of Germany Sabine Leuthesusser-Schnarrenberger’s strong statement made some days back that Google was fast emerging as a giant monopoly that could be facing legal procedures aimed at turning it more transparent can be well read along with the Chinese attempts of late. The German minister’s concern that the search giant was accruing too much power and information over citizens, also reflect those of many British broadband internet experts.
Today, with Google seeming most likely to pull out of the communist state, it is left for the history to say if this major opportunity for Microsoft’s Bing and Yahoo to larger shares of the colossal search market, and through which considerably allay the increasing concerns regarding a brewing monopoly.
Cartoon Credit: Cage Cartoon
