The controversy surrounding Google and its threat to abandon its Chinese operations has increased, after search rival Yahoo! released a statement in support of the internet giant.
However, Yahoo! has been attacked by Chinese internet group Alibaba, of which Yahoo! is a major shareholder, for suggesting the country’s authorities may have been responsible for cyber-attacks prompting Google’s decision.
Yahoo! released a statement last week in support of Google, saying it condemned the attacks which targeted the email attacks of human rights activists and about 20 companies, including Yahoo itself and software maker Adobe.
“We condemn any attempts to infiltrate company networks to obtain user information. We stand aligned with Google that these kinds of attacks are deeply disturbing and strongly believe that the violation of user privacy is something that we are internet pioneers must all oppose.”
While Yahoo’s statement itself did not condemn Chinese authorities, a statement from Google last week suggested the Chinese Government was behind the attacks in order to gain information on activists.
“Alibaba Group has communicated to Yahoo! that Yahoo!’s statement that it is aligned with the position Google last week was reckless, given the lack of facts in evidence. Alibaba doesn’t share this view,” the company replied.
The statement is the latest incident in a wave of controversy which has affected internet giants, security firms and has emphasised tensions between the US and Chinese governments.
But it is not the first point of stress between Alibaba and Yahoo!, which last year bought a 40% share in the Chinese group’s Alibaba.com operation. Yahoo! chief executive Carol Bartz is supposedly unhappy with how the company has used the company’s brand in China.
While Alibaba noted Yahoo!’s lack of evidence, some independent sources have posted direct accusations against the Chinese Government.
Last week security firm iDefense released a statement in which it said the attacks appear to come from official Chinese sources.
“Two independent, anonymous iDefense sources in the defence contracting and intelligence consulting community confirmed that both the source IPs and drop server of the attack correspond to a single foreign entity consisting either of agents of the Chinese state or proxies thereof.”
Additionally, Google legal officer David Drummond has posted on the company’s blog it is considering leaving China over the incidents, which many analysts have interpreted as a direct attack on the Government itself.
“We have taken the unusual step of sharing information about these attacks with a broad audience not just because of the security and human rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech,” he wrote.
“These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered – combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web – have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China.”
Many internet users, analysts and bloggers have criticised Google for being willing to censor internet searches for Chinese users. While this latest move may be an attempt to make up for past mistakes, others have suggested it could be a convenient exit for the company, which is not the leading market player in the country.
In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has said the Government supports Google’s actions. “Our concern is with actions that threaten the universal rights of a free internet.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
