As you may have read, Google is now showing messages to users in China, when they try to perform certain queries that it will not work. Users have been getting errors, as illustrated in this video:
Google says the problems are not caused by its own systems, leaving many to assume it’s directly related to Chinese censorship, a situation, which ultimately led to Google pulling out its Chinese search engine, and redirecting Google.cn to its Hong Kong search engine. Still it is the Hong Kong version, when used from mainland China that produces these issues.
So now, when users try to enter potentially problematic queries, Google suggests they try an alternative query.
Google’s Matt Cutts had this to say about Google’s new feature on Google+:
Matt Cutts I'm really glad we're providing a tool and surfacing information about when trying to search in China might result in your connection breaking. 
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Not everyone is buying the new feature as a “transparent” effort:
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iandanforth @iandanforth
@mattcutts I hope you feel a twinge of shame for this pansy bullshit http://t.co/f5o1JHlp
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Matt Cutts @mattcutts
@iandanforth I work closely with someone who worked on this, and I’m incredibly proud of that work. Lots more transparency in a needed area.
Follow @iandanforthiandanforth @iandanforth
@mattcutts If this is transparency, my walls are windows.
Follow @mattcutts Matt Cutts
@mattcutts @iandanforth this adds a new tool for searchers and clarifies reasons for broken connections that were much more opaque before.
Here’s another conversation Cutts had about it on Twitter:
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Alex Macgillivray @amac
Google predicts queries China’s firewall will find problematic, warns users & prompts query changes to avoid GFW http://t.co/0lPtuRiz Wow
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Nelson Minar @nelson
@amac wow that is amazing. I love how Google refers to a “connection interruption” without attributing intent.
Follow @mattcuttsMatt Cutts @mattcutts
@nelson lots of things could be causing a connection interruption. We’re just giving pragmatic, empirical advice. 🙂 cc @amac
Follow @nelsonNelson Minar @nelson
@mattcutts Maybe it’s the bit patterns of those specific characters in UTF-8, somehow causing disruptions in the cable impedance.
Follow @mattcutts Matt Cutts
@mattcutts @nelson really, who can say why anything happens in the universe? Maybe a phase-photon particle emitter created a reversal in tachyon force.
You can see for yourself how it works, right here.
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