Tom Foremski: IMHO

Tom Foremski
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China Offers To "Severely Punish" Google Attackers

By Tom Foremski | March 8, 2010, 1:09pm PST

Summary

Will the punishment fit the crime?… Will Google finger the suspects?…

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Tom Foremski

Tom Foremski
In May 2004, Tom Foremski became the first journalist to leave a major newspaper, the Financial Times, to make a living as a full-time journalist blogger. He writes the popular news blog Silicon Valley Watcher--reporting on the business of Silicon Valley.

Tom arrived in San Francisco in 1984, and has covered US technology markets for leading computer journals around the world.

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Tony Romm reports on “Hillicon Valley” that the Chinese government is eager to receive Google’s evidence so it can go after the hackers.

“If Google has had evidence that the attacks came from China, the Chinese government will welcome them to provide the information and will severely punish the offenders according to the law,” Miao Wei, China’s vice minister of Industry and Information Technology, told state-run news media this weekend.

That’s a clever tactic. When the Chinese authorities say “severely punish” you can bet that they mean it.

So, will Google finger the suspects knowing that they could be putting people in harm’s way? What if it’s a few script kiddies? Would the punishment fit the crime? In China it might not.

That’s a clever tactic because Google will probably think thrice before handing over information to the Chinese authorities.


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Tom Foremski reports on the business and culture of Silicon Valley at the intersection of technology and media.

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Tom Foremski

Tom Foremski is the editor and publisher of Silicon Valley Watcher, Silicon Valley Minute, and New Rules Communications. Current sponsors are Tibco, Intel, and Cohn & Wolfe. These provide nearly all of the revenues for those sites.

Former sponsors: Edelman, Infineon Systems.

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Biography

Tom Foremski

In May 2004, Tom Foremski became the first journalist to leave a major newspaper, the Financial Times, to make a living as a full-time journalist blogger. He writes the popular news blog Silicon Valley Watcher--reporting on the business of Silicon Valley.

Tom arrived in San Francisco in 1984, and has covered US technology markets for leading computer journals around the world.

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Talkback Most Recent of 13 Talkback(s)

  • Clever move indeed
    That's indeed a clever move on China's part. They called the Big G on their PR rhetoric and turned the table. Now we'll see how tough they are.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Pam400
    03/08/2010 01:29 PM
  • Fry the little SOB's!
    How their government treats the offenders should not be Googles concern. The people commiting the offense KNOW their own gov't and what it's capable of inflicting upon them. It would be a different matter if it was a non-citizen of China to be punished in a Chinese court (because they wouldn't know how bad it would be).

    They should be concerned with making sure it doesn't happen again as another knock to their security reputation could hurt their stock price. =D
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Fark
    (Edited: 03/08/2010 02:03 PM)

  • ZDNet Blogger

    Yes, but...
    Yes, it shouldn't concern Google but "severe" has a very severe meaning
    in China. Google might not want something bad to be on its conscience...
    ZDNet Gravatar
    foremski
    03/08/2010 03:44 PM
  • China Lose or China Lose?
    Actually their spokesperson cornered China. Either choice
    Google makes, China will continue to look bad to the rest of
    the world until it shapes up it's inhumane habit of being so
    CRUEL.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Freedomphilosopher
    03/09/2010 08:13 AM
  • UN Sec Council member's human rights record is TERRIBLE
    Google shouldn't cooperate with that blatantly dishonest
    "MINISTRY" of the cruel regime.

    Google should post the proof and evidences on the internet
    for EVERYONE to see after someone has safely extradited
    the culprits...

    omg!
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Freedomphilosopher
    03/09/2010 09:25 AM
  • Interesting... but
    China is a totaliarian regime, what's stopping them from using the age old "scapegoat" maneuver?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Ceridan
    03/08/2010 04:37 PM
  • RE: China Offers To
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    ZDNet Gravatar
    maidi6622
    03/09/2010 01:33 AM
  • Mr. Foremski, stop bullsh.ting
    When Google, together with the western media and US government, were severely punishing the Chinese with unsubstantiated evidences for more than a month, making all kinds of made-up criminal claims, including the so-called Chinese government-backed spying, where were you Mr. Foremski? Did you ask the same questions you asked here, and I quot --"What if it?s a few script kiddies? Would the punishment fit the crime?"

    Google, if you made a big claim, then show your big prove; if you made a big crap, then put it back into your big mouth, is that simple. Mr. Foremski, Google doesn't need a hand of yours now, unless of course, you also want grab a piece of that sh.t.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    silencetigger
    03/09/2010 06:46 AM
  • Mr. silenceigger get you head out of your A.S
    Google isnt required to show it's proof to a Cruel
    Totalitarian regime. It's already gotten it's evidence into
    the hands of more humane people on the planet.

    Now... happy SHUT UP will you Silence Tigger, before I start
    calling you a 50cent party member and before I start
    posting quotes from the CCP Spy who defected last year.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Freedomphilosopher
    03/09/2010 08:18 AM
  • Sure... as soon as I find you there
    "Google isnt required to show it's proof to a Cruel Totalitarian regime. It's already gotten it's evidence into the hands of more humane people on the planet."

    Excuse me to ask, has Google shown ANY solid evidence, to ANYONE that the Chinese government is behind the recent cyber attack against it? The answer is NO and NO. We don't even know for sure if there ever was such an attack, other than so claimed by Google itself. Unless, Google hid the evidence in my A.S, probably the reason you are there -- trying to dig it out. What a humane people on the planet you are!
    ZDNet Gravatar
    silencetigger
    03/09/2010 02:46 PM
  • Humane
    You asked for it, 50center:

    "My true ideal, actually, in this Chinese security
    department is really to do something for the Chinese
    people and the nation. But I really hated doing things
    just for the interest of the Communist Party and a lot of
    times those things that are in the interest of the
    Communist Party are doing harm to the Chinese people."
    - Chinese Spy who defected from China in 2009
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Freedomphilosopher
    03/10/2010 01:25 PM
  • China's Offers
    We don't need China to SEVERLY Punish anything. They
    are notoriously unfair and innocent people are harassed,
    arrested, detained, imprisoned, tortured, and killed by
    thousands. Search for China's BLACK PRISONS.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Freedomphilosopher
    03/09/2010 08:09 AM
  • RE: China Offers To
    The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology should be
    severely punished for creating the Great Firewall of China which
    hinders industry and information technology.

    Chinese censorship has dumbed these people so now the Ministry
    makes conflicting statements. Fools think they can fool the world.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Freedomphilosopher
    03/09/2010 08:25 AM

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