(San Francisco) When Google opened a research office in Beijing last year, the obvious purpose was to convince the communist government that the company could adequately deny Chinese citizens access to information. Well, guess what? Google succeeded.
John Palfrey, an Internet censorship investigator, estimated that tens of thousands of search terms will be blocked to Chinese Web users. However,
to Rebecca MacKinnon of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, if the average Chinese user is adequately informed of the censorship, "That is defiantly a significant step toward transparency and honesty with the users."
MacKinnon is justifying Google censorship in China by indicating it's a "foot in the door."
One question that hasn't been answered thus far is whether Google will be providing information to the government about the users who search for censored information. Google has refused to comply with a similar request from the U.S. government.
Notably, Google will not offer email or blogging services until it can figure out how to strike a "balance between user interests and local conditions." Whatever that means.
1
"Don't do evil."
Is censorship evil? It is my opinion that China is shooting itself in the foot by creating a huge sandbox for it's citizens to play in. The Chinese powers in charge want the best of both worlds. They want absolute control and they want an open and expanding market. Well, that is a tough balance.
China is a massive market. Companies cannot avoid it really. I have heard all kinds of estimates, but they all point to the fact that China will have immense economic influence from now on, regardless of their politics.
Kelly
Posted by: Kelly at January 25, 2006 07:41 AM (Dv2l6)
2
So, Google is against correcting flaws in their search engine that allows anti-conservative links to pop up like a summer storm. They are against helping law enforcement track down child porn sites. And now they fall in goose-step with a communist country that has murdered itÂ’s own people in cold blood for supporting democracy. All this going against there mantra of free, unbiased flow of information.
Up until this point, we were supposed to accept that all the bogus, conservative bashing, search result that Google digs up is a result of “other people manipulating” the search engine. This clearly shows that Google’s administration has other ulterior motives and that the “manipulation” isn’t a random occurrence, but something more deliberate.
WhatÂ’s some good alternatives for search engines?
Posted by: JohnMc at January 25, 2006 07:45 AM (y+I+a)
3
Our grandkids will be using chop sticks and grinning over chop suey and there aint a damn thing anyone can do about it. China , the next superpower on the planet. We had our shot and couldn't keep the belt - the title fight wasn't even a close call, pretty much a 1st round knockout by China, since the cultural conglomerate called America didn't have the balls and gumption to look out for its own best interests, now pouting and sniveling and weak, the nation of service providers longs for the glory days that will never return... quite an obituary but to be expected when the individual's rights are equal to that of the collective
Posted by: goesh at January 25, 2006 09:35 AM (1w6Ud)
4
I guess I won't mention the 90's and the proclivity the last administration had toward all things Chinese. I would be accused of redirecting attention from the crimes of the McBushitlerchimpyburton conglomerate. But mention it I have.
Posted by: Oyster at January 25, 2006 09:58 AM (osKlJ)
5
I'm so glad we are fighting for freedoms in Iraq so that the very companies which benefit from that blood can go over to China and sell the benefits of that freedom for money. This goes all companies not just Google and Microsoft. It's absolutely repugnant.
Posted by: David at January 25, 2006 10:04 AM (BhVb3)
6
Goesh,
Wah..wah..wah....blah...blah...blah...I've been hearing this Chinese crap for 5 years now. The new superpower on the planet...the great hope of Europe, Africa, Asia, and the rest of the World. A counterbalance to America, a way to show those damn Yankees that they cannot control the World.
Well, I heard this same shit about Japan and the Asian Tigers(Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.) in the 1980's. The US was finished, the balance of power in the World was shifting to Japan, and the good times in the US were over.
You know what, we(the US of A) are still standing. Standing after all the small minds of the World want us knocked down, without realizing how stupid that is.
Did China rescue people and send emergency aid to the Indian Ocean nations hit by the tsunami? Who was the one nation in the World that got aid there quickly, efficiently, and had the helicopters, expertise, and will to save people's lives. Was it China? Hell, no. And I want to give credit to Australia and NZ for responding to the tsunami, but could they have responded if the disaster had been 7000 miles away? Where was the UN, the French, the British, the Belgiums, hell, the whole EU for that matter?
My point is this, one had better hope and pray that the US doesn't go away, because I wonder how many people in the World would die if we had to depend on China to feed the hungry of the World?
Posted by: jesusland joe at January 25, 2006 10:26 AM (rUyw4)
7
China as a growing superpower might be scary if the Commies were still solidly in charge, but there are now officially more Christians than Communists in China, and the Christians are pretty much the American Protestant variety, which means that ties between our countries should grow stronger with the passing of time. The Christianization of China, along with the fact that the Chinese are incredibly civilized people, despite the depredations of rectus' beloved Communism, and have possibly the oldest collective cultural memory on the planet, hints that a post-Communist China may be no more threatening, and no less beneficial to America's and the world's economy than post-war Japan.
Many people who have not read Sun-Tzu are afraid that China will attack us as soon as they feel capable, but the Chinese
have read Sun-Tzu, and indeed tend to live their lives by his philosophy. The Chinese have never been needlessly aggressive, and Sun-Tzu says that to win without fighting is best, whereas to win after a long and costly war is least good. Why would China, now our largest trading partner, want to start a war with us? Wars of conquest destroy economies and cause generations of misery and suffering, both for the conquered and the conquerers, and the Chinese are too smart for that. Besides, they know they can buy and sell our leaders like pigs in the market, after all, they already bought one President of the US, and nobody cried foul, so why should they want war with us?
What's good for America is good for everyone else, and all the Chinese want is respect from other nations and prosperity, and if we give them one, and become their partner in the other, there should be no problems. The biggest stumbling block to full normalization of relations right now is Taiwan, and once a few more bitter old Communists have died out, that will be sorted out peacefully, and we can move forward to a more stable, peaceful world.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at January 25, 2006 11:16 AM (0yYS2)
8
Goggle does this for China because there's money to be made.
Goggle refuses the US Govt because its good PR with no risks - and there's money to be made.
Goggle is a whore.
Would like a discussion on Goggle's US refusal reference the porn thing - wish however it be expanded to include their direct and indirect dealings and relationships with ALL ADVERTISERS AND PROMOTERS! see it as a customer service issue - Goggle is a whore and in bed with a new form of spammin' for dollars.
Posted by: hondo at January 25, 2006 12:35 PM (3aakz)
9
Speaking of computer related whores, I saw on the news last night where Washington state is raising taxes again, despited a budget surplus. (There's a Communist, oops, I mean democrap in office, should we be surprised?) That's not the kicker though; Bill Gates' dad was interviewed for some reason, and he said that
government creates wealth, therefore it has the right to take it away. He's pretty old, so maybe he'll croak soon and that'll be another dead Communis, but his son is firmly entrenched with the Chinese, and along with Google, are doing their best to repress freedom in the world's largest emerging economy, and help keep control in the hands of the ruthless elite. Kinda like how Microsoft does business. Birds of a feather flock together, they say.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at January 25, 2006 12:59 PM (0yYS2)
10
There is a very simple way to take care of Google, that piece of garbage company, and it is called this:
www.answers.com
Posted by: Steve Sharon at January 25, 2006 02:39 PM (qoUk5)
11
Try Altavista.com
Alltheweb.com
Dogpile.com
Posted by: Lonevoice at January 25, 2006 02:45 PM (a8/75)
12
IM - I too caught Gates' father on the tube last night. Either the guy is senile or stupid or both.
Posted by: Mike at January 25, 2006 03:04 PM (zeZwP)
13
He's neither - he just knows that wealth is nothing more that a vehicle to power and influence. Those who have power and influence can then poo hoo wealth - while looking for ways to maintain their power and influence. One way to maintain it is to insure others don't gather the wealth to challenge them.
And the ones who get squeezed and hosed? - the middle classes of course! The wealth and power crowd are secure - the poor and naive lib/left (non-affluent ones of course) are lulled into happiness - and the middle classes are handicapped and screwed.
Its an interesting system - it does provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people - but it is annoying.
Posted by: hondo at January 25, 2006 03:21 PM (3aakz)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
