Google Search and Maps take a pounding in China Google is sinking without a trace in China, according to market-watchers who now place it fourth in the domestic search market and claim its Maps service tumbled to sixth position after a near double figures percentage decline. The Chocolate Factory was struggling for market share even before its well-publicised post-Operation …
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I'm not surprised Google search is truly broken here. When you use it there's a roughly 1 in 3 chance that either it doesn't work at all, or when it does that none of the links work. Additionally, Google Earth stopped working about two weeks ago. The scuttlebut here has it that it's only a matter of time before Google maps is blocked too.
Incidently, when we use Apple's Maps App here it only includes maps of China everywhere else is blacked out. Although Apple unsurprisngly have included lots of islands in the South China Sea currently administered by Vietnam, the Phillipines etc.
You've just described the Middle Kingdom point of view. There is civilization, and then around it, only barbarians. The closer you get to the middle kingdom, the closer to civilisation you get.
China doesn't want to rule places like Korea, it is happy enough that they kow tow and recognise the real civilisation, and remain under their influence.
This is also why they largely don't give a toss what the rest of the world - the barbarians - do, say or think.
If google makes with China the blunder google made with Korea --replacing Dokdo's name with Liancourt Rocks, outside of Korea, and with Takeshima in Japan-- then google's demise in China will hasten exponentially. For now, google will tread carefully with China and not mess with Diaoyu's name. It walked all over Korea, maybe because it values Japan, incorrect history, and puts Korea's 4,000-plus yearsnof ownership below the USA's interests.
If Korea pulls a China on google, then Dokdo may be restored on google searches outside of Korea. Wikipedia may never see daylight in China, at least not legally and not without a VPN?
Go ahead -- downmod me.
i am glad to see google fail in China, and i think the Chinese people are lucky their lives arent being run by google. it seems that westerners have become enslaved by google, and they are all being tracked, and having their privacy violated by google. the absence of google only means that Chinese people can make their own internet, and be truly independent, something that no other country is able to do, with the exception of Russia. thats the only country that i know that has its own search engine. i am sure there are other independent nations that have too, and i would like to learn about them. i have also checked out a lot of the search engines and maps made by Chinese enterprises, and i think they are quite good, and much more suited for the Chinese user. they have some services on their websites that i have never seen on any american map or search engine. you can look up some Chinese maps on Chinese sites, and it will tell you how much the property at that location is worth. and if you do a search for a restraunt in an area, the map will also tell you the approximate cost of the meals there. the same goes for hotels. now if China allowed themselves to be dominated by google, as most countries have, then i dont think any of this would be possible, and you would find a lot of Chinese i.t. people out of work.
China is happy that the rest of the world is open to buy stuff made in China, but does not believe in competition any more when it is about foreign companies that want to enter its market ?
I believe some kind of regulation should be used to cope with Google monopoly, but what we have here is a convergence of interest of the Chinese Internet companies and the government's need of censorship.
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