Google threaten to withdraw due to the Great Firewall of China

China blocks Web content it deems politically objectionable in a vast censorship system dubbed the "Great Firewall of China." It started from the iconic "Tank Man" photo taken during the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown and banned in China was available on Google.cn, hours after the online giant vowed to defy Chinese Internet censors.

Google announced recently that it would no longer censor search engine results in China and possibly pull out of the world's largest online market, citing cyber spy attacks and Chinese Web censorship.

The picture of a Chinese man who boldly stood in front of a line of tanks during the 1989 crack down on pro-democracy protests made headlines around the world. It is banned in China where the event is still hugely sensitive.

A search for the image on Google.cn displayed the photo immediately, while the image did not come up on Baidu.com, another popular Chinese search engine. Searches for other sensitive topics such as the Dalai Lama and the banned Falungong spiritual group were also returned on Google, but were also available on some Chinese portals.

Google said it was targeted by China-based cyber spies along with at least 20 other unidentified firms in an apparent bid to hack into the email accounts of rights activists around the world. Related article: China rights activisits elated
Several people, some bearing flowers, turned up at Google's China headquarters in Beijing to show their support for the Internet giant, an AFP journalist witnessed. Some Internet users expressed dismay at Google's possible pull-out.

Reaction in China's state-controlled media was muted. China Central Television, the government's main television propaganda arm, made no mention of the story in its midday news broadcast. Other major state-run outlets ran only brief reports that failed to mention the allegations of government Internet censorship or hacking directed at rights activists.