Google: There's a Good Kind of Evil in China

One of Google's main tenets is to "Not be Evil." When they launched Google.cn in human rights oblivious China, it was a censored version heavily biased towards displaying results in sync with the party line. Criticism was immediate and fierce. Google responded on the 27th, saying censorship is bad, but not when it's for a good cause. They're right. Google.cn is an important communications inroad. Although censored, the proliferation of any non-government sponsored information is an important inroad for the oppressed peoples of China. Encouraging the use of Google enables people to find the information to help them form independent ideas. From there reform may be one day possible. Less torturing of dissidents -- perhaps because increased access to search results makes hiding human rights violations harder?  -- would be nice. Plus now there's like a gabillion, I mean, a googol, more people to advertise to. Will they be buying democracy?

Comments

[Ben Popken]

Last time I heard it was a business' job to make money, not to legislate and propagatea American policy from the board room.

"Walmart, McD's, Coke, etc. Think of the effect economically those collective brands would have in forcing some change."

Or not. They're brands, not superheroes.

"This just says China calls the shots,"

It is their country after all, their "sovereign nation."

"and they are postponing the bitchslap they will eventually be giving their people for wanting more info."

Yup. They can only slow it down but those people are gonna rise someday. Maybe with the access to better search results from Google they'll get there faster.

[makethelogobigger]

I don't believe they should be censoring it at all. The Chinese people have been suffering long before Google and the rest came on the scene. The thing i want to focus on is that for the first a MAJOR brand could’ve taken a stand.

All of them actually, from Walmart, McD's, Coke, etc. Think of the effect economically those collective brands would have in forcing some change. This just says China calls the shots, and they are postponing the bitchslap they will eventually be giving their people for wanting more info. They can't stand free speech in Taiwan, let alone their own mainland. But hey, at least Google will be there to erase any future memories of the massacres that will take place again.

;-p

[Ben Popken]

Ok, censorship is horrible, I agree.
But first check out these comments by Bill Gates to the World Economics Forum in Davos.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19149-2012784,00.html

He said access to the outside world helps prevent further censorship.

Let's think this thing through. If Google refuses to do business in China, who suffers? The Chinese people, all for the sake of an ideal. Better to allow a neutered Google and forge democratic inroads by enabling the free flow of information.

[Grant]

I also would like to express how disappointed I was by Google's flexibility to the Chinese government's demands for censorship. I really fail to see how their presence in China is a benefit for anyone besides themselves, given how the reports I've read on the web claim that Google's search results are *more* restricted than those of other search engines in China.

You want to know what I think might just help people see outside the party line? News stories that company after company refuse to deal with the Chinese government because of concerns about civil rights and censorship.

[makethelogobigger]

I gotta diasgree with Google's stand here big time.

They stand up to the US government and refuse access to their database under the guise of protecting consumer rights, but cave in to China because they don't want to miss out on the huge payday.

They can't have it both ways. (Here's more of my recent blog rant on this topic:)

"...Everyone that is high-fiving themselves and Google for taking a stand needs to instead smack themselves. Because Google also says it wants to protect it’s proprietary search process. I believe that before I see them supporting the First Amendment though.

As a search engine where their primary product is information, free information at that, this would have been a perfect thing to promote. Coke couldn't have done it. McDonald’s, Walmart and Subway couldn’t have either. Those are companies making cash hand over fist in China. And now too, apparently Google.

Know how much free advertising that would’ve been for them? All they had to do was tell China simply, “No. We filter nothing. Take it or leave it.” Because after all, didn’t they just stand up to Uncle Sam? Their freakin’ stock is at something like $14,000! They could bail out Ford for cryin’ out loud. I think you could afford to take the heat and take a stand..."

The rest can be found here: http://makethelogobigger.blogspot.com/2006/01/googles-free-speech.html