are government sponsored "cyber armies," and constitute some sort of nefarious plot to bring down the United States (or Israel), then what is this?

But hey, these guys are on your team, so it's cool and it's all good, when the guys on the other team are evil demons who threaten your existence.

Or possibly FOX News?

Just because the United States has an embargo in Iran, doesn't mean everyone else in the world has to have one as well. Besides, the mullahs in Iran don't particularly like Afghanistan either, they almost went to war with the Taliban in 1998. I thought this site was for "news for nerds", not biased political pieces bordering on propaganda.

that the UN would be coordinated enough with all of its corruption and ineffectiveness (especially if you listen to guys like Maes) to execute such a nefarious plot.

"had becoming"? Really?

So if China sent a covert operation into India and seized the Dalai Lama, or a covert operation to the US to seize Li Hongzhi (the leader of the Falun Gong) or Rebiya Kadeer (the leader of the terrorist East Turkestan Liberation Movement), how would Americans react? It would be a total shitstorm. I don't even have to say that, it's so obvious.

Clearly there is no morality here behind American actions, it's all about what's good for American interests. It's kind of like rooting for your sports team, they can do no wrong. Double standards and hypocrisy are the norm. It would be good for people to remember that the next time a China article pops up and the China-hating crowd here gets all sanctimonious. We have a team too, and we're looking out for our interests, just like you're looking out for yours.

So you're telling me that the US doesn't spy on Russia and China, and that they don't execute cyberattacks against Al-Qaeda or the Taliban? Western hypocrisy on display right here for the umpteenth time.

If there were no regulations and standards, then all the money would be funneled into actual security protocols?

Doesn't seem like that would be the case, especially since they are now just "going through the motions" to ensure compliance with regulations. The companies may well ignore data security altogether. By complying with regulations there is at least some level of security.

It's like the teachers' complaint that standardized tests force them to "teach to the test", well at least they're teaching something rather than nothing, which was the point of the test in the first place.

I'd imagine the CIA and DoD get on this fairly quickly and get it taken down.

The sales tax is a very regressive tax. Why should ordinary people of Washington take the hit disproportionately so that Microsoft can be let off the hook for what is basically equivalent to offshoring?

The day there is "democracy" in China, there will be an American flag flying over Tiananmen Square, and that day will never come in a million years. "Democracy", "freedom", and "human rights" are merely code words for American imperialism. They will freely support brutal dictators when it suits their interests, while discrediting and undermining free elections that result in an unfriendly government. Remember Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar were once on the CIA's payroll and lauded as "freedom fighters", while Saddam Hussein was once a staunch American ally. But the American Empire will never succeed in conquering China.

How the hell does someone who is 6 years old know anything about what's going on around them anyway, especially issues of politics and governance? All he knows is what his parents told him, and given that they defected they were probably traitors anyway.

Microsoft gets it. You will follow our laws if you want to do business in our country, otherwise you can GTFO. If Brin wants to lose money on purpose for a farcical and irrelevant cause, he can do so by all means. Google's shareholders won't be so happy with him.

They will follow our laws, or they won't be doing business in our country. If they want to leave their 30% market share behind, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Baidu has the other 70% and will gladly take the 30%.

If they want to holler "human rights" and make up random junk about hackers, then they can GTFO. We will not knuckle under to a foreign corporation and give them extraterritoriality. The time for that has passed by more than 60 years. Google needs us more much more than we need them, although that's not saying much since we don't need Google at all.

Complaining that China is not "open politically" or other such garbage is simply a code word for saying that China refuses to submit to American imperialism. I support that 150%. China will never again be the lapdogs of the West. Long live the People's Republic of China!

They will follow our laws, or they won't be doing business in our country. If they want to leave their 30% market share behind, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Baidu has the other 70% and will gladly take the 30%.

If they want to holler "human rights" and make up random junk about hackers, then they can GTFO. We will not knuckle under to a foreign corporation and give them extraterritoriality. The time for that has passed by more than 60 years.

Baidu can just take over the other 30% market share it doesn't have, but Google loses quite a bit of revenue.

I wonder how the next Google stockholder's meeting will go if Google leaves, how can the Board answer the question of why the stockholders' interests (i.e. profits) were blatantly compromised for empty, useless proclamations of "human rights?"

Google will cave because they need us and we don't need them. "Human rights" are a ridiculous non-issue. Nobody in power in the world actually cares at all, they just use it to rile up their own people against foreign governments. When push comes to shove stuff will get done and "human rights" will not get in the way.