Last weekend, Google prohibit Its translation service in mainland China, ended another attempt of a US-based technology company to re-enter the Chinese market as Beijing seeks tighter control over the country’s internet.
Mainland Chinese users are trying to access Google Translate in China instead display a still image Google’s general search bar and link to the company’s Hong Kong-based domain. (Google in Hong Kong is uncensored and blocked for mainland Chinese users.)
The sudden suspension caused some Chinese-language apps, which relied on Google for translation, to be constrained as users. reported problems with programs such as the KOReader document reader, follow TechCrunchfirst report on suspension.
A Google spokesperson told Luck that the company has “discontinued offering Google Translate in mainland China due to low usage.”
Google Translate’s China service received 53.5 million visits from desktop and mobile users combined in August, according to South China Morning Post, cites data from the similarweb web analytics platform. Google Translate overall received 719 million hits during the same period outside of China, according to Similarweb data.
Google introduced the Chinese version of Google Translate’s mobile app as a foray back into the Chinese market in 2017, bringing Chinese-American rapper MC Jin to China. service advertisement for Chinese users. Users in China can download apps without using a virtual private network to evade the country’s internet controls. At that time, Google say it hopes The service will help mainland Chinese “explore a world without language barriers”.
Google originally offered a censored version of Google Search to mainland Chinese users in 2006, but it faced strong competition from local rivals like Baidu.
In 2010, Google said it would redirect mainland Chinese users to its (uncensored) Hong Kong search engine. Decided to provide uncensored search then a Google attack and other US technology companies by actors believed to have connections to the Chinese government. Beijing then blocked Google search in China and has continued to block other Google services like Gmail in the years since.
Google considered bringing a censored search product back to China in 2018 through a project allegedly called Dragonfly, according to reports. Interceptor. Objections of Google employees finally sunk project.
Google maintains offices in China to support developers and help Chinese companies place Google ads abroad.
Some Western technology companies, like Amazon, Airbnband Yahoo!, has closed services in China over the past year. Others have changed their services to comply with the new internet regulations in China. For example, Microsoft’s LinkedIn platform, removed social media feed from its Chinese platform last year, citing “higher compliance requirements.”
Even exercise is not safe. Nike prohibit Popular Run Club app for Chinese users earlier this year.
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