GoDaddy, Network Solutions following Google from China

Tightening domain name registration rules appear to be behind the exit from China of registrars GoDaddy and Network Solutions, according to the Washington Post.

The Post says that "the decisions come amid a showdown between China and Google, which recently announced it will no longer censor search results on its site in the country. Analysts and human rights advocates have warned that China's insistence on censorship and control over information is becoming a serious barrier to trade."

However, although the timing of the moves suggests otherwise, neither GoDaddy nor Network Solutions has directly cited the Google controversy as a reason for their pullouts from the Chinese marketplace.

U.S. Representative Christopher Smith told the Post that "GoDaddy and Google deserve more than praise for doing the right thing in China - they deserve our government's support."

Analysts say that the recent incidents involving U.S. companies and the Chinese government could be the catalysts for the wide-ranging debate over internet regulation, privacy, and censorship that has been brewing for some time. The issue is already more in the public eye than ever before.