Yahoo slammed for backing Google

SHANGHAI: Yahoo has been pulled into a growing row between China and Google, with its Chinese partner slamming the United States search giant for supporting Google on its stance on online privacy and Internet censorship.

The development was the latest in the ongoing spat between the Chinese government and Google, which denied rumours that it had already decided to close its offices in China.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Yahoo knew it had been a target of sophisticated Chinese cyber attacks on US firms before Google alerted the search giant about the attacks, but remained silent while its bigger rival went public.

Last week, a Yahoo spokesman said the firm stood 'aligned' with Google's position that attacks on company networks were deeply disturbing and that violation of Internet user privacy was something that must be opposed. Its comments over the weekend drew sharp criticism from its Chinese partner, e-commerce firm Alibaba Group, in which it owns a 40 per cent stake.

It said in a statement: 'Alibaba Group has communicated to Yahoo that Yahoo's statement that it is 'aligned' with the position Google took last week was reckless given the lack of facts in evidence.'

The exchange had come after Google on Tuesday announced it might exit the China market after suffering a sophisticated cyber attack on its network that resulted in the theft of its intellectual property.

Google said it was no longer willing to filter content on its Chinese language google.cn search engine, and would try to negotiate a legal unfiltered search engine, or exit the market. Its announcement had sparked rumours that Google had already taken a decision to quit China, but a Google spokesman on Saturday stressed these were untrue.

'It's business as usual,' she said, and scotched talk that employees have been put on paid leave.

While the perpetrators of the cyber attacks remain unknown, a hacker known as Lyon told the Sunday Morning Post in a rare interview that the Honker Union of China group had not participated in the attacks on Google: 'We have imposed very strict ethical principles on our members. This practice is not allowed, because it is immoral.'

The union was formed in 2001 and is a well-organised network of more than 12,000 hackers.

'Real Honkers are artists. We don't steal anything, we don't spy on anyone,' he said.

REUTERS

Source: Straits Times, 18 Jan 2010.