Google Redirects Chinese Search Queries to Hong Kong
Marbridge Consulting, 3/23/10
Early Tuesday morning Beijing time, Google migrated its Google.cn platform to its Hong Kong localized website, Google.com.hk, which greeted visitors with the message "Welcome to the New Home of Google Search in China." Mainland China-based users entering Google.com, Google.cn or G.cn are now redirected to Google.com.hk, where Google is not required to filter search results nor possess business licenses issued by Mainland authorities such as China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Google.com.hk provides users with the option to search the entire web, Chinese language websites only, Simplified Chinese webpages only, or "China's websites," which includes results for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
Google presently continues to provide China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK) with mobile search services. Marbridge Consulting found that China Mobile users are currently redirected from all other Google URLs to Google.cn/m, Google China's filtered mobile search platform.
Google China's localized products, such as Video (video.google.cn), Maps (ditu.google.cn) and Google Music (www.google.cn/music) currently operate as normal, and access to Google.com features has not changed from the previous status quo.
Early in the day some search results on Google.com.hk, when clicked, yielded "Page cannot be displayed" messages, but by later in the day, Mainland China-based users reported that they had no problem clicking through any link featured on the results page.
Keywords: regulation China Mobile Internet Google mobile search CHL 0941.HK online search
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