Web Hosting Problems

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While you may not be in the position of selling web hosting in China, recent events may have an effect on whether or not Western companies will be able to do any business there at all. Recently, there has been a major squabble between Google and the People’s Republic of China, and it has escalated to the point where Google has withdrawn services there.

At issue for Google was censorship of search results, as well as “denial of service” attacks on its servers in Hong Kong. Other companies have been affected as well, including email hacking incidents involving the Foreign Correspondents Club of China, and an attempt to block users from Vietnam from having access to information about a Chinese-backed mining project there. Of course, Beijing has no idea what may have caused these issues.

This continues a trend that has been escalating in the past few years. It has come to a head here early in 2010. GoDaddy and Network Solutions have stopped selling domains in China, in response to intrusive requests for information on their clients, including a full color head and shoulders photo of themselves, as well as a massive number of both business and personal identifiers, far beyond what most domain registrars ask for. The implication here is that what China is seeking is far more than marketing metrics. This information can conceivably be used to crack down on dissent.

In the last several years, sites with the .CN extension have been subject to many attacks, and outright shutdowns by the Chinese government, for what they refer to as content “deemed not appropriate”. This has usually been connected with sites that contained any sort of information about Tiananmen Square, ongoing human rights concerns, or any other form of dissent aimed at the government of China.

This appears to be a standoff that has far more implications than the ability to host a site in China. Frosty trade relations between China and the West continue to escalate, and it may be some time before any resolution is reached, if one is at all.

While the percentage of GoDaddy’s, Google’s and Network Solutions’ business in China was very small. It represented a vast opportunity for marketing to the world’s largest online market. One would have to assume that there will be something worked out, but it may not be in the near term.

In the meantime, web hosting and web marketing in China for Western companies using Chinese domains is grinding to a halt. Given the number, scope, and intrusive nature of the attacks that are coming to sites daring to have any content other than that approved by the government in Beijing, it may not be a bad thing. Who needs your business and personal information hacked by a hostile government?

For those attempting to continue to market there, using a top-level domain translated into Chinese may be your best solution. Be aware though that the added scrutiny may just not be worth the return, at least at this time.


Web Hosting: Web Hosting Problems in China | http://www.intac.net/web-hosting-problems-in-china_2010-04-12/#ixzz11u3K4F2M
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