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Internet Google's Eric Schmidt Travels to North Korea to Unravel Internet Ban
Tiffany Kaiser - January 10, 2013 2:16 PM

14 comment(s) - last by Alexvrb.. on Jan 11 at 11:29 PM

Google's Eric Schmidt (Source: neurope.eu)

The search giant would likely love to tap into this untouched sector with its Android mobile operating system, Gmail and Google search/Chrome browser technologies

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt recently visited North Korea in an effort to end the internet ban.

Schmidt made the trip with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who said that North Korea is "anxious" to improve its relationship with the United States. The two spent four days in North Korea, where they visited the capital city of Pyongyang.

“As the world becomes increasingly connected, their decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world,” said Schmidt. “The government has to do something -- they have to make it possible for people to use the internet, which the government in North Korea has not yet done. It is time now for them to start or they will remain behind.”

According to Bloomberg, North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has called for greater use of technology, including the Internet. But the internet is banned in the country -- instead, citizens use a domestic intranet service called Naenara.

Schmidt added that the 1 million cell phones in North Korea could easily be retooled to offer Internet access. The search giant would likely love to tap into this untouched sector with its Android mobile operating system, Gmail and Google search/Chrome browser technologies.

This isn't Google's first mission to open up the Internet in countries that are highly censored. In 2010, Google decided to stop censoring search results in China following attacks made on the search engine from two schools in the country.

The Obama administration opposed Schmidt's trek to North Korea, but Schmidt called it a "private humanitarian mission.”

Source: Bloomberg

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quixotic

By chromal on 1/10/2013 2:26:35 PM , Rating: 5

As North Korean power seems to be based upon keep their citizens ignorant of the world as it actually is, I don't have much hope that they'll throw open the Internet floodgates.

RE: quixotic

By MegaHustler on 1/10/2013 3:49:46 PM , Rating: 5

Showing results for how to go to prison
Search instead for democracy

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RE: quixotic

By AnnihilatorX on 1/11/2013 9:12:08 AM , Rating: 2

If you want the best oxymoron the world has to offer

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

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RE: quixotic

By Ringold on 1/10/2013 6:21:08 PM , Rating: 4

China made the transition, Vietnam kinda has. Cuba is starting to work on it.

It's been done before, but you're right in that it's not easy. Could China have possibly done it without the right man being in the right place at the right time, namely Deng Xiaoping? I doubt it, just as we in America had a lot of rather incredibly far-sighted people that happened to all be alive and in the right place at the right time in the 1700s.

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RE: quixotic

By Alexvrb on 1/11/2013 11:29:15 PM , Rating: 2

He doesn't care about opening floodgates. He went over there as a salesman.

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Let see

By Ammohunt on 1/10/2013 3:18:03 PM , Rating: 2

What pray tell would improve the quality of life most for the average North Korean.....a Mouth full of rice or a Nexus 4? tough life decision here.

RE: Let see

By ritualm on 1/10/2013 6:06:36 PM , Rating: 2

A mouth full of rice does nothing, because most of the food donated by outsiders go directly to the elite and military. The rest of the population gets fed with indoctrination instead of food.

You need to first depose the entire North Korean government infrastructure and leadership before you can rebuild the nation proper.

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RE: Let see

By Ringold on 1/10/13, Rating: 0

RE: Let see

By maugrimtr on 1/11/2013 10:49:24 AM , Rating: 2

No idea why you're being voted down. Outside of living in the middle of a disastrous famine, practically all nations considered as having extreme poverty have a healthy mobile sector supplying cheap phones and services. Communication has been the key to human survival since we parted ways with ancient Monkeys.

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Google is a master at manipulating web search results

By johnsmith9875 on 1/10/2013 3:19:31 PM , Rating: 2

I would think Kim Jong Un would be very interested in what Google has to offer them in terms of a restrictive search engine.

RE: Google is a master at manipulating web search results

By TheSlamma on 1/10/2013 11:11:13 PM , Rating: 2

Plus they can harvest the data and find out who's building tunnels

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RE: Google is a master at manipulating web search results

By Alexvrb on 1/11/2013 11:25:58 PM , Rating: 2

Google and North Korea, they're practically meant for each other!

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He best be careful

By havoti97 on 1/11/2013 12:35:33 AM , Rating: 2

Next thing you know we might hear about a certain American business man locked up for spying on the sovereign soil of DPRK.

Why would anyone...

By MZperX on 1/11/2013 12:21:32 PM , Rating: 2

... want to give this regime access to more technology and information? If this guy from Google thinks the Internet will be opened up for the NK people then he is naive beyond belief. If they ever get their foot in the door it will be restricted use for the party leadership, high level government officials, and the military. I don't want the NK military to have better communication and coordination capability. Does anyone think that's a good idea? Sure hope not.