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"Internet users in China are reportedly having difficulty using Google on Friday, a service interruption that's impacting everything from Google Search to Gmail.\nFrustrated Chinese Internet users were switching to alternative services, including Hotmail and Yahoo, only to later find those unusually \u2014 and painstakingly \u2014 slow as well.\nA look at the Google Transparency Report shows a dramatic drop in access:\n\nThe connectivity issues are coinciding with a week-long meeting of the Chinese Communist Party, according to the Times of India. The timing is causing some to speculate the slowdown is being caused by the Chinese government in an effort to control the flow of information.\nHistory gives that theory some weight \u2014 China's been known to block Internet access for its citizens during politically sensitive times, such as the anniversary of protests at Tiananmen Square.\nUpdate: A Google spokesperson told Mashable that \"we've checked and there's nothing wrong on our end.\"\n\nSEE ALSO: China Bans Tiananmen Searches on Anniversary of Protests\nChina is notorious for blocking Internet users from accessing sensitive content and for attempting to censor content \u2014 policies collectively nicknamed \"The Great Firewall of China.\" That hasn't stopped the Chinese from flocking to the web, however: Internet use in the country is up 11% from 2011.\nHow would you react if your government slowed down the Internet? Share in the comments.\nImage courtesy of iStockphoto, skizilkayaphotos"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/11/09/google-china-slow/>