SearchEngineLowdown: Google Closes Doors on One Nation
Google reduced its international presence in a small way by taking down its Azerbaijani site. Google had been the most popular international search site for the tiny country sandwiched between Russia and Iran on the Caspian Sea. Baku Today speculated that it was because someone forgot to pay the domain registration fee, but it could also be a deliberate move to get out of market where allegations of human rights violations surfaced after elections late last year. If so, the do-gooder culture of Google may face difficulties in larger and more desirable markets, such as China.
