Oh, the irony: The People’s Daily, the main newspaper of China’s Communist Party, says Google censored its web site by adding a malware warning to search result listings for the newspaper’s book section.

The paper says the malware warning appeared after it ran an article about a Chinese group that has suggested Google’s book search settlement might violate the rights of Chinese authors. The paper says the malware warning appeared for three days, and claimed that its book section was “maliciously blocked by Google.”

Google called the claims “absolutely incorrect” and pointed out that its malware warnings are generated automatically and without human involvement.

It’s all ironic, of course, due to the long-running battle between Google and China over censorship issues. Usually, though, it’s Google (and others) accusing the Chinese government of censorship, not the other way around. Or, as the Inquirer calls it, this is a case of “wok calls kettle black.”

Related Topics: Google: Critics | Google: Outside US | Legal: Censorship

About The Author: Matt McGee is Search Engine Land's Executive News Editor, responsible for overseeing our daily news coverage. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. See more articles by Matt McGee