Google and the Chinese government are once again discussing the fate of the search giant's presence in that country, according to a report.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that talks have resumed after a pause for the Chinese New Year. It's been about six weeks since Google forced a showdown with the government by declaring its intention to shut down its Chinese search engine unless it is allowed to offer an uncensored version, and it doesn't seem that the two parties have gotten any closer to making a decision.
A Google representative declined to comment on the nature of the talks, saying "we are not going to engage in a running commentary about discussions we may or may not be having with the Chinese government."
Google has also raised the possibility that it might leave China altogether over the dispute, which was precipitated by a cyberattack against Google coming from China. Over 30 U.S. companies were affected by similar attacks, and on Monday Intel revealed in its annual report that it was also the victim of a cyberattack around the same time as the others. However, Intel said it did not believe the attacks were connected.
At the same time, China is apparently putting tighter restrictions on Internet Web site operators, according to a report by the Associated Press. Site operators will be forced to register with the government and appear in person before an official if they wish to register a domain, according to the report.