Google agrees to Chinese censorship

[Christopher]

link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,182695,00.html

Google officials characterized the censorship concessions in China as an excruciating decision for a company that adopted "don't be evil" as a motto. But management believes it's a worthwhile sacrifice.

In other words "It's a hard decision, but ok, we'll be evil.... if you make it worthwhile - $$$$$".

[fryman]

Its been going on for quite some while, check the date on this thread

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=3489

[digitalpoint]

Originally Posted by Christopher

In other words "It's a hard decision, but ok, we'll be evil.... if you make it worthwhile - $$$$$".

They didn't really have a choice. If they didn't, the Chinese government would simply block anyone in China from using Google.

[Christopher]

Heh, heh, how 'bout that.

Thought I had found something new........ but I'm busted by fryman

But hey, why is fox news giving me old stories as breaking news?

[fryman]

And loose a billion-people market...

I'm sure neither you nor I would want to do that if we were in charge of business

[fryman]

But hey, why is fox news giving me old stories as breaking news?

I have seen similar notes about it recicled many times, no idea why they do it

[flawebworks]

Originally Posted by Christopher

But hey, why is fox news giving me old stories as breaking news?

Because there is no news to report.

[tesla]

Yeah, that may be old news, but the AP is running an article and its on the front page of yahoo news today.

I just want to thank Google for showing their true colors. They're no different from Microsoft. Sacrifice freedom for the quick buck. Thats what living in America is all about these days.

I better head down to the gun store and buy me a couple of rifles, a shotgun, and a hand gun.

Its only a matter of time before the next American Revolution/Civil War starts. We're going to have to fight the government and big corporations.

With big companies like Google and MS helping China police the net, along with the falling currency of the dollar, at this rate there won't be a future for the little guy. It be a bunch of millionaire's and a bunch of slaves. No middle class to speak of.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by digitalpoint

They didn't really have a choice. If they didn't, the Chinese government would simply block anyone in China from using Google.

True, but I would hope that even a big company could, on occasion, stand up for what's right and what's wrong.

This can be looked at from many angles, and I'm sure google admin thought it through carefully. What got me was how the paragraph I quoted read.... just kind of an 'yeh, that's are motto, but we'll break it for china'.

But who knows, maybe having google there will help the people of China thrive and eventually throw out their dictators (oops, I mean communist leaders). I've often thought the way to get rid of Castro might be to open up Cuba and flood it with tourist, the economy would boom and Castro would lose control. My Cuban friends assure me though, that Castro would be the only one to make any money. ok, straying from topic here

[fryman]

You can;t invent your own rules in foreign countries, Telsa. You can;t jump into a comunist country and try to do business as if you were at home.

[tesla]

But who knows, maybe having google there will help the people of China thrive and eventually throw out their dictators (oops, I mean communist leaders). I've often thought the way to get rid of Castro might be to open up Cuba and flood it with tourist, the economy would boom and Castro would lose control. My Cuban friends assure me though, that Castro would be the only one to make any money. ok, straying from topic here

That is a pipe dream for the naive. It will probably be a cold day in hell long before that ever happens. When big billion dollar corporations help big corrupt governments restrict peoples freedoms, usually the people on the bottom don't thrive.

[Blogmaster]

Originally Posted by tesla

That is a pipe dream for the naive. It will probably be a cold day in hell long before that ever happens. When big billion dollar corporations help big corrupt governments restrict peoples freedoms, usually the people on the bottom don't thrive.

I do believe it can make a difference. When you give oppressed people a taste of the free world, they will ask for more. It's just like the berlin Wall, it took 40 years to come down, but it did!

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by fryman

Telsa. You can;t jump into a comunist country and try to do business as if you were at home.

I know it's a huge market, but do you break your own ethics to do business there?

I don't really think that google is 'evil', but agreeing to actively help a government keep it's own people suppressed is, in the end, bad business and bad judgement, and... well, heck, maybe it is evil. When you get down in the mud with somebody, you are bound to get dirty.

Tesla, you calling me naive? I don't think it is naive to say anything is possible and that China is highly unstable. You never know where the spark of dramatic change will come from. I agree that it is unlikely though. The bigger possibility is that google agreeing to do censorship for the Chinese goverment will help the goverment keep it's people in the dark.

When the Chinese people eventually have a free society, will the companies that cooperated with the current regime suffer consequences for doing so?

[hurricane_sh]

Yahoo revealed the email user's IP.
Google censors news.
MSN removed political blog.
Cisco is working hard on the great firewall.

All other companies are following these big evil guys, now everyone feel good: "We don't have a choice."

If these big companies didn't set bad examples and said no to the Chinese government, it will make a big difference.

[lorien1973]

Originally Posted by tesla

That is a pipe dream for the naive. It will probably be a cold day in hell long before that ever happens. When big billion dollar corporations help big corrupt governments restrict peoples freedoms, usually the people on the bottom don't thrive.

Yeah. We all know that showing a communist nation a taste of freedom never worked in the past. I mean, Gorbachev's policy to be more open to the west wasn't partially responsible for the Soviet Union's demise

[tesla]

Yeah. We all know that showing a communist nation a taste of freedom never worked in the past. I mean, Gorbachev's policy to be more open to the west wasn't partially responsible for the Soviet Union's demise

Whats your point? The Soviet Union has been in poverty since it fell. They've had to sell many of their weapons to foreign countries and many people there live in poverty.

Besides, what does the fall of the Soviet Union have to do with Google helping China police the net? How can a multinational corporation helping a government police the net be good?

What is this "taste of freedom" you talk about? What taste of freedom will the Chinese people have if they can't freely post their thoughts online the way I'm doing here?

Saying that the Chinese people may eventually demand their freedom by getting online is insane. How are they going to "persuade" their government to give them freedom? Fight them?

Oh I forgot. Unlike the US, the Chinese citizens aren't allowed to carry guns. I wonder why that is.

Christopher, I'm not saying you're naive, but it is naive for anyone to think anything good could come out of this.

[markhutch]

No system on earth can block everything and I believe the people in China already know more than their government suspects. A boycott would do no one any good. These restrictions will fade with time. Better to have some news getting through than none at all. China is becoming a capitalist country with or without Google. It's only the old folks in the leadership there that think they can keep billions of people under control in the long run.

[donttrustthisposter]

Originally Posted by fryman

You can;t invent your own rules in foreign countries, Telsa. You can;t jump into a comunist country and try to do business as if you were at home.

That's what the military is for

[Will.Spencer]

This certainly makes a mockery of Google's "Do no evil" banter.

[latehorn]

I think that they censor my blog, since I havn't got any visits from china lately