So The Standard has picked up the story on Google censoring their search results in China. After reviewing the methodology used by DIT, I am sceptical of their claims and know that serious internet geeks would have approached this problem differently.

Feel free to check out my previous thoughts on criticisms of Cisco and Google and analysis of the Great Firewall.

My first question is who the f*ck is Dynamic Internet Technology? It claims that it "provides technology for circumventing internet restrictions in China", yet I've never heard any of the bloggers in China ever mention them or their software in attempting to bypass the Great Firewall. Never. It sounds to me like an upstart no-name company trying to make a name for themselves in a field by taking on the biggest name in the field. It reeks of publicity stunt, but one that has been extremely successful (which doesn't say a lot for technical journalism).

As for technical issues, it comes down to one question for Google. Does Google China use the same database backend for search results outside the Great Firewall that it does inside? If the Google China database backend inside is compiled only from links spidered by googlebots run through the Great Firewall, sites like Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty and other contrarian news organisations will not be spidered because they are on the perma-block (by name as opposed to IP I believe, though I haven't explored fully the differing web server clustering techniques success in foiling the Great Firewall). I am doubtful that Google synchronises (replicates) the data stores of URLs between continents or between country sites. Search results from Google Hong Kong and Google Silicon Valley are different enough that it caught me by surprise when I first moved to Hong Kong and google was silently redirecting me to google.com.hk As for Google China using the same databackend as Google Hong Kong, that would require either a leased line or a public internet connection. I'm doubtful that the Great Firewall would allow a public internet connection to a database backend outside of the mainland. (Did the Blaster virus that slammed MS SQL cross the Great Firewall?) That leaves the leased line architecture to reach Hong Kong and I'm not sure what restrictions are placed upon business leased lines in the mainland and whether Google China would be allowed to use a leased line to reach a database backend which isn't filtered by the Great Firewall.

If Google is using an external data backend that they are filtering themselves, then they are violating their public oath against doing harm. If they are limited to a data backend that is filtered by the limited access the Great Firewall provides to their googlebots, do people suggest that Google China should actively try and subvert government controls? If so, why is it a corporation's responsibility to be part of the underground opposition?