Google has been applauded by many Chinese people for its long-awaited courage to challenge the information censorship China relies on to tighten its control of people, allegedly for the sake of internal unification and domestic stability.
Chinese lay people have never been trusted by their government with the capability to make good judgements and tell right from wrong about what they read on the internet.
For thousands of years, people in this country seem to be told, and guided by the authorities as to what they should hear, see and read.
As China becomes stronger, many people worry that the control over the flow of information will tighten too. And there are mixed reactions among Chinese people to the possible departure of Google. Some believe it may lead to increased government censorship while others argue that the potential departure may encourage the government to lessen its grip on the Internet.
There is no doubt that its leaving will be a great loss not only for Google's long-term business returns, but also for China's Internet industry and users. For many those who have used the variety of Google tools in their daily life and even work, it would not only mean a change of working habit, but also lead to a decrease of understanding of information technology.
This will bar Chinese netizens from accessing new technology and information development in an effective and efficient way. Whether this will enable the government to increase its control of this populous country is open to question.
Whatever decision Google China makes, it has already made its mark in the history of the Chinese Internet industry.
