Google is reporting Monday that the Chinese government is making it difficult for users to access their email service in what appears to be yet another symptom of a pervasive internet “crackdown” amidst unrest in the Middle East.
Contra the Chinese Government, Google reports that they are having no technical problems with Gmail: “There is no technical issue on our side; we have checked extensively. This is a government blockage carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail.”
This is not the first time the Chinese Government has set its aim on the tech giant. In June, 2009, Google came “under attack” by Chinese officials, blocking all Google.com search traffic, as well as email services.
China continues to have some of the Globe’s most authoritarian Internet policies. Their Government either controls or blocks YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. However, China remains an important marketplace for Google’s products. Google has moved its Chinese search engine to Hong Kong, which “operates under separate rules from the rest of mainland China.”