Google announced, in a carefully worded blog post, that it no longer felt comfortable operating in China. They claimed to have been under serious and protracted cyber attacks from the Chinese government, and that Gmail accounts of advocates of human rights activists have been routinely accessed by third parties.
Privacy and security on the Internet are concepts that the Chinese government regard with annoyance and disdain. Would it be better to work within the limitations and hope for a better day, or to distance oneself from such a depressing place and preserve ones integrity? These are problems that have long confronted foreign companies and local dissidents in China. Some of us (yes, myself included) have to swallow part of our pride every day in order to accept the status quo without going insane. It is simply refreshing to see such an influential corporation behave like a person with honor and integrity. I applauded your decision to establish google.cn four years ago. I applaud your decision to exit the China market now. I hope your action will spark a widespread movement in which companies and politicians would rethink their attitude in dealing with repressive regimes, not limited to China.