There's high-tech influence strategies being employed in China as search rivals Google and Baidu.com trade quips over news that Google hints at quitting China due to cyber attacks.  Of course, where there's corporate and government posturing, there's plays being run.  Here's a little recap:

• Google floated a Trial Balloon yesterday when it announced it would consider pulling out of China due to constant cyber attacks on its infrastructure and recent attempts to hack into the GMail accounts of human rights campaigners.
• Referring to Google's struggles in the Chinese search market, a Baidu.com exec retorted with a subtle yet de-stabilizing Ping, questioning whether Google would be making such a big deal about this if it were in a better financial position.  In essence, the Baidu exec accused Google of using the hacks as a diversionary Red Herring to save face for an eventual Chinese pull out.
• Google-Proxies then Leaked information to suggest that other major U.S. corporations -- including Northrop Grumman, Dow Chemical and Adobe, among others -- are also under a constant barrage of cyber attacks from within China.
• Google then upped-the-ante and announced with a bold-faced Bait to the Chinese government that it will no longer be censoring its web searches in China.

Stay tuned as more plays are run.

Posted by: John Koval

Photo Credit: searchenginewatch.com