<p>But what initially looked like a dramatic development turned out to be nothing more than a technological hiccup.<br /><br />After the company's report of a complete blockage in China had been relayed by The Associated Press and other media, Google backed off the claim.<br /><br />The company, based in Mountain View, said its system for tracking Internet access appeared to have misinterpreted what was happening to its search, mobile and advertising services in China.<br /><br />"It's possible that our machines could overestimate the level of blockage," Google said in a statement. "That seems to be what happened (Thursday) when there was a relatively small blockage. It appears now that users in China are accessing our properties normally."<br /><br />When the AP initially inquired about the problem in China, a Google spokesman said he had no other details beyond what the company was listing on its own website.<br /><br />Google began posting daily status updates on the availability of its services in China four months ago</p>
<p>But what initially looked like a dramatic development turned out to be nothing more than a technological hiccup.<br /><br />After the company's report of a complete blockage in China had been relayed by The Associated Press and other media, Google backed off the claim.<br /><br />The company, based in Mountain View, said its system for tracking Internet access appeared to have misinterpreted what was happening to its search, mobile and advertising services in China.<br /><br />"It's possible that our machines could overestimate the level of blockage," Google said in a statement. "That seems to be what happened (Thursday) when there was a relatively small blockage. It appears now that users in China are accessing our properties normally."<br /><br />When the AP initially inquired about the problem in China, a Google spokesman said he had no other details beyond what the company was listing on its own website.<br /><br />Google began posting daily status updates on the availability of its services in China four months ago</p>