Google: China Search Block May Be Technical Glitch (GOOG)

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) said its earlier report that Internet search services in China were being fully blocked could have been the result of a technical glitch that overstated the problem.

According to a Reuters report, Thursday's selloff on Google stock "underscored investors' ongoing concerns about the fragility of Google's position in the country, after the company had a very public dispute with Beijing over Internet censorship earlier in the year."

Google later said in an emailed statement, "Because of the way we measure accessibility in China, it's possible that our machines can overestimate the level of blockage."

"That appears to be what happened last night when there was a relatively small blockage. It appears now that users in China are accessing our properties normally," the company added.

Shares of Google are 0.35% higher today, to $486.52.