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Google Images Censors Too in China  (View post)

Chris Radcliff [PersonRank 0]

Friday, January 27, 2006
18 years ago

Is it necessary to access google.cn through a proxy in China to see the censorship? I did an image search for "tienanmen square" on google.cn (accessed from the US) and I see all sorts of tanks on the first page.

http://images.google.cn/images?q=tienanmen%20square

Is Google only censoring searches that originate in China, or has something else changed since your post?

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

I have to set my browser default language to Chinese to access Google.cn (or else, I'm being forwarded to Google.com). I see the tanks on the search you linked, but the search I am presented with has an additional parameter – "hl=zh-CN" – that you don't seem to get. Here's the URL I am presented with, which remains as in the screenshots at this time:
http://images.google.cn/images?q=tiananmen+square&hl=zh-CN&btnG=%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2%E5%9B%BE%E7%89%87

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Wait, do a search for [tiananmen square], you spelled it differently. My spelling is the one that Google.com and Answers.com say is correct.

Corsin Camichel [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Philipp with default lang set to en-US I can see the pictures, but with zh-CN I can not see them.
Could it be possible that the same is possible in China? Has anybody every tried to use another default language? en-US, de-DE or something? Could someone please check that?

/pd [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

borwser is default to en-us. .. the images returned have nothing to do with tanks!!

David Sanger [PersonRank 7]

18 years ago #

Well I think I am completely banned in China in Google images!!

http://images.google.cn/images?q=davidsanger.com

vs

http://images.google.com/images?q=davidsanger.com

also a regular site search for my domain returns 1/4 the pages in google.cn

Joe Black [PersonRank 1]

18 years ago #

I hope Google's owners are charged with Treason in the US for supporting a communist government. I hear that other companies are actually supporting china's witch-hunt of freedom seekers. They too need to be jailed.

ceejayoz [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

Will you be up for charging Congress and the White House for treason, too, Joe Black?

Matt [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

By the way, searching from the U. S. site in the .cn domain returns the same results:
http://images.google.com/images?as_q=tiananmen+square&svnum=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&imgsz=&as_filetype=&imgc=&as_sitesearch=.cn&safe=images

This makes me think that Google China prefers .cn results. Whaddaya think?

David [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

Last I heard, Congress and White House members are not (should not be?) above the law.

Joshua [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

HOW COME NOBODY IS MENTIONING THIS FACT!

You still CAN access Google.com in China!!!!!!!

Yes, Google.cn is censored, but Google.com ISN'T! Even in China!

A million people talking about this issue, 99% don't realize the facts.

If Google did not offer its censored Google.cn version, then the Chinese government would block the free Google.com sites in China, too. So now the Chinese have 2 versions to choose: A unfiltered version AND a censored version.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT!!!!!

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

> If Google did not offer its censored Google.cn version, then
> the Chinese government would block the free Google.com
> sites in China, too.

Why do you think that would be so?
I was in China, and I could access Google.com ... even when there was no Google.cn at that time.

Szabina Taylor [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

Thank you for this site. I am very confused though. Is there a way for Chinese people to access Google.com from China with the unfilterd search engine? If yes, are there any consequences from the Chinese goverment? Thank you for your reply.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

> Is there a way for Chinese people to access Google.com
> from China with the unfilterd search engine?

I can't answer that here from Germany, but if users from China can answer it it'd be helpful...
I do know when Google.cn started out, Google.com was still accessible from China.

> If yes,
> are there any consequences from the Chinese goverment?

Interesting question. I guess nobody but the Chinese internet guards know!

Sreeram [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

But majority of chinese don't speak or understand english. But knowing the Chinese leadership it is very likely that google.com is blocked too.

In this regard China's accusation of Japan not representing right history is completely hollow.

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