Twitter, Google & China Concerns

DAVOS, Switzerland - Twitter's co-founder and the head of Google on Friday addressed concerns about Internet censorship in China, speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Google's chief told the meeting that censorship in China has to change but that the internet search giant wanted to stay in the Asian giant despite being the target of cyber attacks from inside China. When asked about reports of China's attempts to block Twitter, the co-founder of the microblogging phenomenon, Evan Williams said he had been told about them but the company had no confirmation. "That's what I've been told," he told AFP. "I have heard reports on that," he added on the sidelines of the Davos forum, but said the company did not have direct confirmation. Williams said China can use a firewall to block the microblogging service used by millions around the world, but that Twitter was not "actively" looking for ways to get around any block. "There are ways for users to get around it, but I'm not an expert on that." When asked about media reports that Twitter was developing ways to get around the firewall, Williams said he had been "misquoted." "We're not actively developing any way to get around it," he said, although he stressed that "we're for the free exchange of information." Asked if his company had noticed cyber attacks, such as those launched against Google from inside China, he said none had been detected. Google has threatened to pull out of China over the attacks as well as over censorship in China which it opposed.