Google opens talks with China

AFTER INTERNET SEARCH OUTFIT Google threw its toys out of the pram about Chinese censorship, it didn't seem likely that the company would go back behind the bamboo curtain.

Now it seems that Google has been wining and dining Communist mandarins to see if it is possible to make a comeback.

For a while Google has been automatically redirecting everyone using Google.cn to Google.com.hk, its Hong Kong search engine.

While this redirect offers unfiltered search in simplified Chinese and has been good for Google, apparently the Chinese are unhappy with it.

The Chinese government has threatened to remove Google's Internet Content Provider license if the practice continues.

According to a Google spokesman, that is a prospect dreaded by many Chinese users, who have been vocal about their desire to keep Google.cn alive.

Apparently Google has been looking at possible alternatives, and instead of automatically redirecting its users, it has started taking a small percentage of them to a landing page on Google.cn that links to Google.com.hk, where users can do web searches, or continue to use Google.cn services like music and text translate, which it can provide locally without filtering.

"This approach ensures we stay true to our commitment not to censor our results on Google.cn and gives users access to all of our services from one page," a spokesperson for the company said.

Google has now resubmitted its ICP license renewal application based on this approach. It is not sure if China's government will buy the idea. µ