Google Inc. on Monday urged Western nations to challenge a growing list of Internet restrictions in China and around the world as a violation of global trade rules and to negotiate new trade deals to protect the free flow of online information.
"More than 40 governments now engage in broad-scale restriction of online information, a tenfold increase from just a decade ago," the search engine giant said in a policy brief that follows a censorship battle with China this year.
"These actions unnecessarily restrict trade, and left unchecked, they will almost certainly get worse."
With worldwide Internet commerce projected to soon reach $1 trillion, it is important to thousands of U.S. companies that China and other countries only be allowed to censor or restrict information in exceptional circumstances, Google said.
More: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AE2HU20101115
"More than 40 governments now engage in broad-scale restriction of online information, a tenfold increase from just a decade ago," the search engine giant said in a policy brief that follows a censorship battle with China this year.
"These actions unnecessarily restrict trade, and left unchecked, they will almost certainly get worse."
With worldwide Internet commerce projected to soon reach $1 trillion, it is important to thousands of U.S. companies that China and other countries only be allowed to censor or restrict information in exceptional circumstances, Google said.
More: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AE2HU20101115