Google's plan to relaunch in China with a censored search engine and a news aggregator app may seem to be in progress apparently. But experts now suggest that Google may see more blocks to enter in the country's boundary due to the Chinese government's strict internet-usage policies and cybersecurity regulations.
According to Global Times, the U.S. based search giant missed a huge opportunity when it withdrew its business in China back in 2010, with complaints about censorship and hacking. The decision was a terrible blunder as it didn't get a piece of the cake of the mainland's internet development which resulted in a huge economic boom throughout the country. Now, the company is bound to face the restraints of the mainland's internet management policy in its pursuit to get back in China's web business.
Tech Majors Prospect in China:
Potential sources suggest that Apple has seen huge perks in recent times with its iPhone flagships throughout China. However, its popularity in the country is due to its adherence to the Chinese government's terms and conditions. According to Wired, the company has gained a one-fifth portion of its quarterly profit of $55 billion from its Chinese establishments only.
Linkedin also agreed to the censorship terms over its content, when it entered China back in 2014. The professional social media platform has been maintaining the same cordiality with the Chinese government since its advent in the country. Facebook even recently attempted to start its new establishment in China.
Chinese Web Blockades & Google's Take on That:
Google's re-entry in China may lead to serious complications for the company. Lotus Ruan, who tracks online information controls in the country for the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, recently stated: "China's regulatory environment is more restrictive than in 2010." "In the name of 'rule of law,' the state is releasing more and more laws and regulations to control internet activities," he added.
According to tech analysts and experts, one of the major hurdles for Google would be the new cybersecurity law which was introduced by the Chinese government, last year. However, the company will leave no stones unturned to enter in the country having 770 million internet users, as stated by Paul Triolo, a well-known analyst of Chinese technology markets and policy at Eurasia Group.
"From Chinese users' point of view, these services could be beneficial, I would argue that they would probably have a lot of users," Paul added. It is still not certain yet, but a majority of the experts expect to see Google relaunching in China by the last phase of this year or by the first quarter of 2019.
