yeah, in a way this is like a systems backdoor :)_

The sad thing is by making this public, the lifespan of this feature have been cut short. The organization that found the loophole should have only spread the word through confidential channels rather than making it public – at least this would have prolonged the lifespan of the loophole.

So, if someone clicks on your ad, but your site is blocked by Chinese authorities, do you still get charged for that click?

In reality, the test was quite pointless since Chinese people will not be searching for "human rights china" on Google. No more than Americans will be searching for “美国人权“。

Ken, but still the test was proof that the domains blacklist Google implemented for web search is not active in AdWords, and that might be an international feauture... but maybe someone wants to repeat the test with Chinese keywords?

Unfortunately, I think the Chinese censorship apparatus is far more efficient and practical (that is, results-oriented rather than interested in scoring telegenic political points) than attempts in Western cultures.

My guess is that ads for 'human rights' are way down the list of things to worry about, as long as they can block the content. As most Chinese expatriates will tell you, people are more free to speak of things in China, in newspaper editorials for example, than many of us imagine. Where the government draws the line is at group organization and/or political action--"just talk" is OK but action or calls for action are not. Similarly, it is not the phrase "human rights" that the censors are interested in removing, but detailed information, news, and discussion on the topic.

The censors don't fool themselves that citizens are unaware of the things that are blocked. They just (try) to prevent them from accessing, or creating, that sort of content. And, sadly, they seem to do a pretty good job.