The Google/China Split and Questions About Cyber Security
By: Lauren Farber
Google, in an attempt to live up to their corporate credo “don’t be evil,” has taken a stand and reversed its controversial decision to censor results China’s Google search engine. In their announcement, Google’s Chief Legal Officer David Drummond stated that the cyber attacks on more than 20 companies were part of a coordinated attempt for hackers to gain illegal access to the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights workers. Increased government censorship over the past year, including the recent decision to block YouTube, also owned by Google, appears to be another significant factor in this decision that may ultimately lead to Google’s withdrawal from the Chinese market. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a pointed admonition of these alleged activities, stating that “Those who disrupt the free flow of information in our society or any other pose a threat to our economy, our government and our civil society.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry was quick to respond that taking a commercial conflict into the political arena could be detrimental their relationship with the United States and insisted that “The Chinese internet is open.”
Questions will ultimately arise in the coming days at how seriously the Obama administration is willing to assert its views on China’s human rights and censorship record. A clash with the Chinese government could literally not come at a worse time, as the US seeks to create consensus on issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear capacity to international climate change agreements. However, the fact of the matters is that these cyber attacks, regardless of their origin, point to real vulnerabilities in our capacity to protect sensitive information from being intercepted by anyone with an internet connection. A December 2009 report exposed the fact that Iraqi insurgents have been able to intercept video feeds from unmanned military drones by using $26 software program available for purchase online. The message from this is clear: the United States cannot afford to shortchange cyber security. These incidents serve to underscore the need for internet freedom and enhanced information security.
