Google, the world's leading search engine, has thrown down the gauntlet to China by announcing it is no longer willing to censor search results on its Chinese version.
In a shock announcement the internet giant said the decision followed cyber attacks which appeared to be an attempt to gather information on Chinese human rights activists.
It also comes amid an increasing clampdown on the internet in China over the last year.
Google acknowledged that the decision might well mean Google.cn, and potentially the company's offices in China, would have to close.
