Google says searches from mainland China are being blocked again

SAN FRANCISCO — Google said Thursday that its search engine and other services were abruptly cut off from mainland China, raising more questions about the Internet company's ability to operate there while trying to work around government online censorship policies.

It's unclear why Google's search engine was suddenly fenced off, or whether China's government was blocking the service with technology tools known as the "Great Firewall."

The notice on Google's website reporting the China barrier provided no details, and a company spokesman didn't elaborate.

It's the first time Google has reported its search engine being completely blocked in mainland China since the company began posting public updates four months ago.

People in mainland China also were being prevented from using Google's mobile and advertising services, according to the company's status report. Other services, such as Google's blogging tools and YouTube video site, have been blocked in China for months.