Profit is good. Say it ’til you believe it.
April 13th, 2006Google has come under criticism for cooperating with government censors in China as a condition for conducting business there. The newly introduced watered-down version of Google filters out search results for such search terms as “Tibet” and “democracy.” While unfortunate, the people of China are far better off with a censored Google than no Google at all.
It would be wonderful if censorship ceased to exist in China tomorrow; however, it is not Google’s responsibility to lobby the Chinese government to change its laws. Google’s first obligation is to the investors who fund its operations and not to the individuals living in oppressive regimes.
Further, I think it is likely that agitators for democracy will be inspired to close the gap between real Google and Google “lite”; Google’s presence itself may serve as a catalyst to this end. So while entry into a vast, lucrative market is justification enough for Google to adapt to China’s rules, the company’s critics should fault China’s Communist party for its censorship rather than Google.
Great site!
Interesting take on Google’s attempt to make inroads into China’s market. Unlike the US, however, there’s two fold monitoring of the internet in CCP ruled China . Not only is the green dragon limiting access to sites with the words “Tibet” and “democracy” in their title but because a large percentage of the population’s dependent on cyber cafes for internet access many Chinese can expect “big brother” directly monitoring usage.
Effectively pushing too far, too fast in issues related to free expression (see “cartoon wars”) might be a recipe for unrest and instability. Pushing first amendment rights on our eastern neighbors just to prove a point is flawed reasoning. And yet, the utilitarian argument that because the majority of stock holding googlites are itching for growth, the top dogs should compromise on values stinks of majoritarianism gone awry. If only there could be a compromise like cutting and pasting banned wikipedia articles into email exchanges…aww, the lovely smell of utopia!!!!