Google menace de se retirer de Chine
NOUVELOBS.COM | 13.01.2010 | 07:06
Le géant informatique a déjoué une attaque de pirates informatiques visant les comptes mail d'activistes défenseurs des droits de l'homme.

Google a menacé, mardi 12 janvier, de se retirer de Chine, après avoir déjoué une attaque de pirates informatiques visant les comptes mail d'activistes défenseurs des droits de l'homme.
"Il nous faudra peut-être fermer nos bureaux en Chine", envisage le géant américain d'internet, dans un post publié sur son blog officiel et signé de David Drummond, directeur juridique de l'entreprise.
Google déclare avoir détecté "une attaque hautement sophistiquée et précisément ciblée contre (son) infrastructure", attaque dont les auteurs sont basés "en Chine". Celle-ci s'est produite à la mi-décembre.
Une vingtaine d'entreprises dans divers secteurs auraient subi une tentative de piratage informatique comparable, précise le post.

Finie la censure ?

Après une enquête plus poussée, Google a conclu que "le but principal des pirates informatiques était d'accéder aux comptes Gmail (la messagerie de google, NDLR) de défenseurs chinois des droits de l'Homme".
La compagnie n'a pas expressément accusé le gouvernement chinois d'être à l'origine de cette attaque, mais elle a ajouté qu'elle n'avait "plus l'intention de continuer à censurer (ses) résultats de recherche". Cette remarque est une allusion aux conditions imposées à Google par le régime pour pouvoir opérer en Chine.
En 2006, Google avait en effet accepté de trier les résultats de recherche des internautes selon les critères imposés par Pékin, s'exposant aux critiques des défenseurs des libertés.
"Dans les prochaines semaines, nous discuterons avec le gouvernement pour savoir dans quelles conditions il serait possible de mettre en oeuvre un moteur de recherche sans filtre", annonce la compagnie, qui menace : "Cela voudra peut-être dire qu'il nous faudra fermer le site google.cn, et fermer nos bureaux en Chine".

(Nouvelobs.com avec AP)
http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualites/medias/20100113.OBS3461/google_menace_de_se_retirer_de_chine.html
NOUVELOBS.COM | 13.01.2010 | 07:06

From Google's official blog:
A new approach to China
1/12/2010 03:00:00 PM
Like many other well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident--albeit a significant one--was something quite different.

First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses--including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors--have been similarly targeted. We are currently in the process of notifying those companies, and we are also working with the relevant U.S. authorities.

Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.

Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers.

We have already used information gained from this attack to make infrastructure and architectural improvements that enhance security for Google and for our users. In terms of individual users, we would advise people to deploy reputable anti-virus and anti-spyware programs on their computers, to install patches for their operating systems and to update their web browsers. Always be cautious when clicking on links appearing in instant messages and emails, or when asked to share personal information like passwords online. You can read more here about our cyber-security recommendations. People wanting to learn more about these kinds of attacks can read this U.S. government report (PDF), Nart Villeneuve's blog and this presentation on the GhostNet spying incident.

We have taken the unusual step of sharing information about these attacks with a broad audience not just because of the security and human rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech. In the last two decades, China's economic reform programs and its citizens' entrepreneurial flair have lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty. Indeed, this great nation is at the heart of much economic progress and development in the world today.

We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results. At the time we made clear that "we will carefully monitor conditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on our services. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectives outlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China."

These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered--combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web--have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.

The decision to review our business operations in China has been incredibly hard, and we know that it will have potentially far-reaching consequences. We want to make clear that this move was driven by our executives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvement of our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to make Google.cn the success it is today. We are committed to working responsibly to resolve the very difficult issues raised.

Posted by David Drummond, SVP, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 7:12 PM, Dan Haig wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8455712.stm

Google 'may end China operations over Gmail breaches'

Internet search company Google says it may end operations in China
over alleged breaches of the e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights
activists.

It said in a blog post it had detected a "highly sophisticated and
targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from
China".

"A primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of
Chinese human rights activists", it added.

Google did not specifically accuse the Chinese government. on its
Chinese search engine, as the government requires.

Google said the decision could force it to shut down its Chinese site
and its offices in the country.

The company said its investigation into the attack found two Gmail
accounts appeared to have been accessed.

However, activity was limited to account information such as the date
the account was created and subject line, rather than e-mail content,
it said.

It was also discovered the accounts of dozens of US, China and
Europe-based Gmail users, who are "advocates of human rights in
China", appeared to have been "routinely accessed by third parties".

It said these accounts had not been accessed through any security
breach at Google, but "most likely via phishing scams or malware
placed on users' computers".

Shortly after the news was announced, shares in Google fell by 1.23%
to $584 (£361) in after-hours trading in New York.

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worldwide Tibet movement, which is dedicated to ending human rights violations in Tibet
and to working actively to restore the Tibetan people's right under international law
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ITSN pursues its goals by working to increase the capacity of individual Member
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See www.tibetnetwork.org for more information.

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