Google Services Working In China After Month-Long Interruption

Google China alleged ban lifted — Google services are working again in China, following a monthlong interruption that preceded the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Jason Lee / Reuters

More than a month after Google's (NASDAQ:GOOGL) search, map and email services were shut down in China in the runup to the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the blockade is over and Chinese were able to access the search giant's services on Thursday.

Access to Google search and maps was restored, according to a report from Reuters. The Chinese government has strict policies to maintain control of the Internet, blocking searches and websites that it deems inappropriate, with a program that has become known as the "Great Firewall." Google China, which had allowed the government to censor results, stopped doing so when it left the mainland for Hong Kong in 2010.

Google did not immediately return a request for comment. GreatFire.org, a Chinese site that monitors blocked sites and keywords, also reported that Google services appeared to be accessible within China.

It was not immediately clear Thursday whether the service restoration was temporary or permanent. The majority of Chinese Internet users care little about Google, according to Isaac Mao, a prominent Chinese blogger and Internet expert. Only a small minority are concerned with the government's censorship program, which has completely blocked sites from Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR) and Google's YouTube.

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