Beijing employs a force of 30,000 Internet censors 24/7, blocking access to many sites expressing nonapproved opinions on hot-button issues like Taiwanese independence and the Falun Gong religious sect.Google launched a Chinese version of itself, Google.cn, that is heavily censored to comply with Communist Party regulations. The new site, Google.cn, is physically based in China and its contents are censored by Google to accord with government preferences.
To enter the The Great Firewall of China, Google agreed to censor itself. Why did Google made a hard bargain ? Time.com writes
For Google, getting a foothold in the Chinese market now may well be vital for its survival 20 years hence. So it's not surprising that it would trade that financial confidence for a little ethical dustup. The real risk is that some of that dust will stick to Google's snowy-white brand identity.Google trades on its image as a different kind of company. It became a little clearer last week that there can be only one kind of company: the kind that makes money.