Yesterday, Google made a post about their China branch
- Four years ago, Google decided that the benefits of having "increased access to information for people in China ... outweighed [Google's] discomfort in agreeing to censor some results". To abide by laws, certain search results on google.cn are filtered.
(For example, looking up an image of the "tiananmen-square tank man" in Canada vs. China yields very different results.) - Last month, Google (among "at least twenty other large companies") faced a particularly strong "cyber attack", which they have reported was likely to gain access to the email accounts of human rights activists.
- Yesterday, Google concluded its post with this option for the Chinese government:
We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
I can only imagine flawlessly.
I do wonder though... What brought them to these options?
- Helping China within their own legal system is more trouble then it's worth. (Especially if some part of the PRC government is not.)
- Google is a major part of many peoples lives. Perhaps the PRC will submit to having an unfiltered search giant?
- The cyber attack might not have been possible without Google's presence in China. Perhaps the best way to "don't be evil" is getting out.
I have no idea, but I'm glad that some action is being taken.
Comments and insights would be much appreciated.
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2 comments:
When Google first announced that they'd be filtering their results in China, I liked the idea. Raised on Star Trek, I suppose, I thought - and still think - we should accept the other culture and their misunderstood method of protecting their people from information or whatnot.
But when the Federation acts violently to a Klingon diplomat in an effort to make them feel at home, that Klingon is still expected to be honourable and... you know... not tap into Wesley Crusher's Gmail account. Even if no one likes Wesley.
I don't understand the Star Trek references, but as somebody told me yesterday, it's awesome that Google are putting ethics ahead of profits.
But to try and rebut your Star Trek point, Google is accepting the other culture, recognizing its right to be a culture, etc. - just saying they don't want to be part of that culture. Which seems fair to me. Klingons have their own culture and don't want to be forced into somebody else's, but they'll gladly let the other ones exist, as you said.
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