Another US Internet company pulls back in China

WASHINGTON: Go Daddy Group Inc., a leading reseller of Internet domain names, says it will stop registering new names in China. The company says it's taking the step because the Chinese government has begun demanding pictures and other identification documents from its customers.

Word that company will stop setting up Web sites in China's ``.cn'' domain comes two days after Google Inc. said it will no longer censor Internet search results in China. A Go Daddy executive was announcing its move Wednesday at a congressional hearing on Google's actions.

Go Daddy has been registering domain names in China since 2005. The company said it is concerned about the security of its customers and ``the chilling effect'' of the new Chinese government requirements.