Gmail users in China are noticing slow or inaccessible service. Experts suggest this isn’t due to new technology, but rather an effort to quell any whispers of political unrest. Read the article in PC World here:
Chinese Internet users have reported greater difficulty accessing Gmail in recent weeks, prompting speculation that the Chinese government is again stepping up its efforts to control the flow of information on the Web.
Gmail users are complaining on Chinese microblogs that the service has been slow or inaccessible. Google has reported no problems with access in China, but the complaints are ongoing and appear to have started late last month.
“Gmail access has been very poor in the last several days,” Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based Marbridge Consulting, said in an interview Monday. “And it doesn’t appear to be related to the earthquake in Japan, as other friends immediately outside of mainland China have reported having no difficulty.”
