Could Google bring freedom to China? After years of interference from the Chinese government, Google puts its foot down.

• Author: Kristof, Nicholas D.
• Position: Cover story

When Google started doing business in China in 2006, it agreed to censor search results to comply with Chinese law--a controversial decision for a company whose motto is "Do no evil." But Google argued it could do more good by operating in China, even with government restrictions, than by not being there at all

That all changed in January when Google discovered that Chinese hackers had tried to break into the Gmail accounts of Chinese human-rights activists. Implying that the Chinese government was responsible, Google said it would no longer censor search results in China--and that it would pull out of China if it were not allowed to operate freely.

Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof argues that Google's principled stand will help China and its people in the long run.

Google's decision to stand up to Chinese cyber-oppression is positively breathtaking. By announcing that it no longer plans to censor search results in China, even if that means it must withdraw from the country, Google is showing spine--a kind that few other companies or governments have shown toward Beijing.

One result was immediate: Young Chinese have been visiting Google's headquarters in Beijing to deposit flowers and pay their respects (see photo, above right).

China promptly tried to censor the ensuing debate about its censorship, but many Chinese Twitter users went out of their way to praise Google. One declared: "It's not Google that's withdrawing from China, it's China that's withdrawing from the world."

Cynics say Google tried to turn a business setback (it's No. 2 in China, behind the local search engine, Baidu) into a bid to burnish its brand. Whatever the motivations, it's a refreshing contrast to Yahoo's decision in 2006 to give the Chinese government access to dissidents' e-mail accounts--a move that sent four dissidents to prison for terms of up to 10 years.

"In the 20 years I've been doing this work, I can't think of anything comparable," says John Kamm, the founder of the Dui Hua Foundation in San Francisco, which has enjoyed remarkable success in encouraging China to release dissidents. Kamm, a former business leader himself, argues that Western companies could do far more to project their values.

Google announced its decision after a sophisticated Chinese attempt to penetrate the Gmail addresses of dissidents. The episode and the resulting flap highlight two important points about China.

CYBERWARFARE

The first is that Beijing is increasingly devoting...