Online search engine leader Google Inc. has agreed to censor its results in China, adhering to the country's free-speech restrictions in return for better access in the Internet's fastest growing market. Baidu.com Inc., a Beijing-based company in which Google owns a 2.6 percent stake, currently runs China's most popular search engine. But a recent Keynote Systems survey of China's Internet preferences concluded that Baidu remains vulnerable to challenges from Google and Yahoo Inc.
Google officials characterized the censorship concessions in China as an excruciating decision for a company that adopted "don't be evil'' as a motto. But management believes it's a worthwhile sacrifice.
Google's decision rankled Reporters Without Borders, a media watchdog group that has sharply criticized Internet companies including Yahoo and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN.com for submitting to China's censorship regime.``This is a real shame,'' said Julien Pain, head of Reporters with Borders' Internet desk. ``When a search engine collaborates with the government like this, it makes it much easier for the Chinese government to control what is being said on the Internet.''Google is cooperating with China's government at the same time it is battling the U.S. government over a subpoena seeking a breakdown of one week's worth of search requests a list that would cover millions of terms. Reflecting its uneasy alliance with the Chinese government, Google isn't releasing all its services. Initially, Google's Chinese service will be limited to searching Web pages and images.