Google Says China Blocking Email Service

March 21, 2011

Google (GOOG) says the Chinese government is interfering with its email services in China, making it difficult for users to gain access to its Gmail program amid an intensified Internet crackdown following widespread unrest in the Middle East, the AP and other news outlets report. GOOG is trading up 0.7% in its first pre-market matches, at 564.90. Google said its engineers have determined there are no technical problems with the email service or its main website. China has some of the world's strictest Internet controls and blocks many popular social media sites, including Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. The government has intensified those efforts after pro-democracy protest erupted across the Middle East in January, the AP notes.