But while the search company has sent a signal that it intends to stand its ground, few others have been prepared to follow its lead, making it easier for repressive governments to continue with their current policies.

The lack of broad support for the Global Network Initiative is a case in point. Set up four years ago, it was meant to be a forum for companies and non-governmental organisations to devise a common practice for confronting online censorship and repression. However, it still counts only three companies – Google, Microsoft and Yahoo – as members. In a meeting at the US state department this month, undersecretary Robert Hormats castigated the technology and telecommunications executives from nearly 20 companies for not rallying around the initiative, according to one person present.

Even those companies that have taken a public stand can appear ambivalent. Microsoft, which still offers a censored search service in China and stands to benefit from Google's change of stance there, recently drew criticism from Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy, after Steve Ballmer, chief executive, and Bill Gates, chairman, made public comments appearing to side with Beijing in its row with Google. Mr Ballmer later published a blog post reiterating his company's support for internet freedom.