Move has global repercussions.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: After months of disruption to the world’s largest email service in the world’s most populous nation, Gmail has been blocked in China with anti-censorship advocates citing the Great Firewall as the culprit.
According to GreatFire.org, a China-based freedom-of-speech advocacy group, the now ubiquitous email service was cut off on Friday and is still down as of Monday, December 29th.
“I think the government is just trying to further eliminate Google’s presence in China and even weaken its market overseas,” said a member of GreatFire.org who operates under a pseudonym.
Repercussions could be felt across the globe and may not be limited to Chinese borders.
“Imagine if Gmail users might not get through to Chinese clients. Many people outside China might be forced to switch away from Gmail,” said a statement.
Almost all of Google’s online services have been disrupted in China since June this year, but until Friday, Gmail users could still access their email via protocols such as IMAP, SMTP, and POP3 on third-party apps like Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail.
China controls the world’s most intricate internet censorship platform, known colloquially as the Great Firewall of China. National authorities utilize their steadfast control over the internet to monitor and address any signs of political dissent or challenges to the ruling party’s leadership.
The disruption to Google services coincided with the lead-in to the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of June 4, 1989, which saw the Chinese government crack down on pro-democracy protestors. The memories of Tiananmen Square still endure as a symbol of resistance towards Chinese political leadership, but any and all discussion of the topic is banned by the national government.
GreatFire has postulated that Gmail’s disruption will affect the communicative capabilities of companies that do business in China and rely on the service for their corporate email systems, while the Chinese government has effectively denied any involvement.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not know anything about the Gmail blockage and added, “China has consistently had a welcoming and supportive attitude towards foreign investors doing legitimate business here. We will, as always, provide an open, transparent and good environment for foreign companies in China.”