Google has announced that it will bring its search engine to China under an agreement to uphold the rules of censorship imposed by the Chinese government. Therefore Google has drawn criticism from human rights groups. Since Google’s motto is “Don’t Be Evil,” many are charging that Google is being quite hypocritical for contributing to the concerted efforts of the Chinese government to repress its people by lies and propaganda. Google defends their agreement to do business under the terms of the Chinese by saying that even though they agree to omit part of the truth, it is better than telling no truth.
However, the courtroom oath is, “Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” The stipulation about telling the whole truth is included as a recognition that the act of withholding relevant information can be just as damaging to finding the truth as the direct act of telling a lie. In the micro view, Google is merely withholding information. But when you look at the big picture, they are doing so at the demand of the Chinese government to fulfill the intent of that government to perpetuate a falsehood for the purpose of denying freedom to the people of China. Is this glass half full or half empty?
The issue is obviously about money. There are potentially over a billion customers in China that Google can reach, from an American-based search engine it's almost an untapped market. Meanwhile, technologically speaking, it's a cash cow. So Google will set some ethics aside to make $$$. Not really surprising. It's free enterprise and to appease the Chinese government, despite what others may think, they have to agree to their terms or it's a no go. Like McDonald's not serving beef in India.
I look at it that no matter how much Google sensors it's search engine, so "dissident" ideas don't get through, they can't stop it all,
and the Chinese on the net, will see bits and pieces here and there that they are not supposed to. That can only mean a little of what is going on in the world around them will get through.
Google is a business accommodating an evil regime.
Is Google evil for doing so?
If they are than they are just as evil as the US government is for allowing free trade with China back in late 2000.
What isn't evil in the secular world these days?
I challenge anyone to show me anything in the secular and 'religious' world, for that matter, that hasn't compromised or contributed to evil on this planet.
And I challenge anyone to say they haven't participated in any of these 'evil' machinations. Because I know I have. I cannot buy food in any grocery or health food store in my town that doesn't have an evil agenda in its background.
Yes I agree that it is a cash cow, and that China will not be able to stop everything that they don’t want on the Internet in their country. If fact, I suspect that the Chinese censors are vastly underestimating what they are getting themselves into with the Internet, and that they will eventually be overwhelmed by an online explosion of the freedom movement. In fact, considering that possibility and its repercussions, I wonder if Google could be underestimating what they are getting themselves into.
I also agree that there is a lot of evil in the world. Personally, I do try to keep myself from being evil, but until I am completely successful, I feel somewhat hypocritical in demanding it of others. However, Google’s motto, “Don’t Be Evil” seems indeed like an admonition to others rather than a commitment on their own part.
China is basically a big prison, and some of the prisoners are metaphorically secretly sawing through the bars to escape. As a condition of being allowed to do business in China, Google is going to help find the culprits and weld up the bars. It’s not exactly analogous to the free trade issue although trade is part of the package.
I agree that money will likely blind Google to their incredible hypocrisy. So it is up to the rest of us to not be evil. It is up to the marketplace to speak out if they feel there is anything to say. Perhaps they will have more to say when China tells Google that if they want to stay in China, they must extend the Chinese model of the truth beyond China to the rest of the world. Of course Google will say yes. Surely this is an upcoming chapter in this unfolding saga. China has already asked the U.N. to take over the Internet and censor it, eliminating searches for such words as democracy and freedom. By the way, Google will be back in the news in a couple of weeks, but that is another story.
It's the Chinese people's problem when you get down to it. If they don't like their system of government then they need to move or start a revolution. If you don't like the flag hanging over then find a different one. Their government is trying to oppress them and they can't put up with it. Google doesn't have any responsibility to abide by American democratic ideologies in countries that don't subscribe to them.
Trying to change your system of government in China may find you dead in Tiananmen square . Dead people cannot enact change. They may become martyrs...but they cannot enact change.
HECK,
I agree that it is the problem of the Chinese people that their government is oppressing them. It is just that Google is now making itself an accomplice to that oppression. Google does have every legal right to do what they are doing. However, their corporate motto is, “Don’t Be Evil,” and helping a government deprive its people of freedom is quite evil I think.
You suggest that if the Chinese people want to throw off their repression, the only options are to move or start a revolution. A revolution would be easier to accomplish if Google was not working to help suppress it.
In addition to Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are also helping China to oppress its people as a condition for profiting from the Chinese market. Today Yahoo was in the news for helping China track down and jail a dissident who was secretly posting information about Chinese government censorship. There have been enough complaints about this threat to human rights that the U.S. congress will hold a hearing next week to look into the matter and consider whether the three companies should be prevented from helping China oppress freedom.
I suppose that the companys in China have to do what the Govt ask of them if they want to stay in China. However look up China's SEZ's there the gov't is not so tough.
The governments a bit dodgy but the people are fantastic and the food is great apart from the deserts 1 billion people and they can't conjur up a decent pastry chef.
Congress will hear from Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft on 2/16 about their collaboration with the Chinese government to censor the Internet for Chinese citizens.
01-28-2006 04:59 AM
