Last week we noted, with a growing sense of disquiet, how China was busying itself with locking out VPN access within its borders and, seemingly, preventing people from using their Gmail accounts. Google has now given a public voice to those concerns, noting that "there is no issue on our side. We have checked extensively. This is a government blockage carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail." Other Google tools, like the Person Finder for Japanese tsunami survivors, have also exhibited intermittent issues.
