Google's Made in China Hack

Recently, Google announced that their security was compromised by a "sophisticated" and "organized" cyber attack that originated in China. In addition, Google found that Gmail accounts of Chinese dissidents were accessed frequently by third parties and there was an attempt to access the contents of e-mail accounts of Tibet human rights activists as well. As a result of this, Google is now unwilling to be a partner of the Chinese government in self-censorship of their Chinese search engine Google.cn.

Well, the purpose of this blog is to raise some questions instead of trying to find answers. But if you have answers, please feel free to leave a comment. On the other hand, whatever the motivations of dramatis personae, viz., Google, Chinese government, US Government and yet unknown hackers, one thing that stands out in the clear is that Google's computers were hacked into and sensitive information was accessed. Therefore the information stored on Google's computers is not beyond compromise. Douglas Rushkoff advances an interesting hypothesis on this point of view.

I read about this story in the news and I noticed that the story had many gaps. Here are some of the gaps:

(A) Symantec corporation does not consider an attack using Trojan Hydraq and an e-mail attachment as a method of infection to be particularly "sophisticated".

(B) Google has been carefully avoiding directly blaming Chinese government for this incident, on the other hand Google wants to use this incident to start negotiations with the Chinese government for lowering or possible removal of search engine censorship. The cause and effect link between these two factors is rather tenuous without invoking the already compromised moral principles of free speech and "Don't be evil."

(C) Is it a belated realization on the part of Google that they cannot compete with Baidu in the Chinese market unless search engine censorship is substantially reduced or removed?

(D) Cyber spying is a growth industry. FBI reports indicate that attempted cyber attacks on the departments of defense and state have been rising. Gerald Posner's article on China's Secret Cyberterrorism examines this topic in more detail. I was heartened to know that Google did launch a counterattack to find out the source of the attack. But what was new about this issue, other than the fact that this was perhaps the first time that Google's computers were attacked and compromised?

Repression of dissidents and human rights activists in China has been going on since communists came to power more than half a century back. There has been little change in government-sponsored repression in China in spite of the economic progress of the last three decades. With as many as 470 executions per year, China continues to have the highest number of executions per year. In recent years, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has brutally suppressed uprisings in Tiannenmen, Tibet and Xinjiang. In China, you are free to express any opinion as long as your opinion is in agreement with CCP. Recent removal of the blockbuster movie Avatar from the theaters in China was another example of this control. Chinese government has not shown particular sensitivity to international opinion in this regard.

Interestingly, during this spat Chinese government accused United States of information hegemony. Recently, Tom Mulvey, my colleague at ABPA, gifted a beautiful globe to me. Looking at the map of China I noticed that the map included more than 80,000 square miles of disputed territory as part of China. Taiwan had the same color as mainland China and Sakhalin was not mentioned at all. Of course, when I turned it upside down I noticed "Made in China" printed in a corner. Whose "information hegemony" it is?

If my reading of history is correct then restoration of natural rights is a political process, not a commercial activity. Therefore, Google's sudden reawakening of their moral commitment to free speech in China seems a little incongruous. Google is a respected and ethical business not unlike Microsoft, Oracle, Intel or IBM, who are rightfully guided by long-term economic interests and competitive advantage. Therefore, I'm afraid that Google's "holier than thou" approach to advancing of commercial interests and covering of their computer vulnerabilities with a righteous indignation will just create more political friction instead of achieving business goals.