Google has just released google buzz, a twitter like platform that is integrated into your gmail account – so your “buzz” from friends and followers comes through as a folder in your email box.
This is all cool stuff, but from the matter of the current state of “google leaving china”….this is another step towards leaving.
Its reported the government of iran has blocked not just this google buzz – but all access to gmail!!
As most people are learning, facebook, twitter, youtube and other social media sites are blocked inside of china – google buzz fits the profile of these social media sites, and therefore we speculate will also be banned by the GFW (great firewall) of china – as it allows chinese people to read and access information the chinese government forbids.
But the scary part is – if china blocks the new google buzz – it will also have to block gmail – google’s free email service!!!! This is because google has integrated the 2 systems together as 1 platform.
BLOCK gmail????? Would the chinese government do this? So many chinese people, and businesses, use it every day!
it is obvious google knows how many chinese people are using its gmail email service….and i cant help to think they may be using this gmail / buzz combo to make a difficult choice for the chinese government….
If the chinese government bans gmail, many of its people will be punished and at a competitive disadvantage from foreign companies…..as well as locked out of their email……..or defy chinese law and use tools to get around the chinese firewall.
I feel the younger generation in china is already fed up with the government here blocking facebook, youtube, twitter, and others.
How would the people react if they were banned from gmail?
Seems google was aware of this difficult choice the chinese government had to make, and is again challenging the chinese politicians to rethink how they resteict open access to information to their own people.
Google leaving china, google fighting the chinese government, now it seems google is pitting the chinese government against its own people…
Lets see the outcome….definitely going to be interesting…..
