Google’s mission statement sets a pretty high bar:
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Too bad "universally" doesn’t include Communist China:
The new Chinese service at http://www.google.cn will offer a self-censored version of Google’s popular search system that restricts access to thousands of terms and Web sites.
In a compromise that trades off Google’s desire to provide universal access to information in order to exist within local laws, Google will not offer its Gmail e-mail service, Web log publishing services or chat rooms — tools of self-expression that could be used for political or social protest.
The company’s mealy-mouthed statement on the matter is disgusting:
"Other products — such as Gmail and Blogger — will be introduced only when we are comfortable that we can do so in a way that strikes a proper balance among our commitments to satisfy users’ interests, expand access to information, and respond to local conditions," the company said in a statement.
According to Google, the Chinese don’t suffer under "censorship," "repression," or "gross human rights violations," you see. They just have "local conditions."
Ugh.
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This goes to the interdimensional string theory proposed by Hawking. You see, there are multiple universes, and you have to be really, really smart to understand it.
Of course, the liberals at Google (check their contribution and editorial policy if you disagree) are smarter than the rest of us, as are all liberals.
The Chinese universe must be a different universe than the one Google serves. I’ve always said liberals must live in a different world than I live in. This just reinforces my belief.
If you don’t believe me, just ask them. They’ll tell you.
Dangit!
This goes to the interdimensional string theory proposed by Hawking. You see, there are multiple universes, and you have to be really, really smart to understand it.
Of course, the liberals at Google (check their contribution and editorial policy if you disagree) are smarter than the rest of us, as are all liberals.
If you don’t believe me, just ask them. They’ll tell you.
The Chinese universe must be a different universe than the one Google serves. I’ve always said liberals must live in a different world than I live in. This just reinforces my belief.
Corrected from post one. Dang clumsy thumbs and touch pads!
As long as they keep the $1 socks flowing to my Wal-Mart I dont care what they do over there. Thats their problemo. If the peasants over there arent happy they need to stow away in the belly of a dirty ol freighter,come over here and be sex slaves or something. Or better yet, open up a Chinese buffet. We dont have very many and can always use another.
I rmember a couple of days ago on of our Liberal commenters making a post askingus all to congratulate Google for refusing to allow the Yankke Gummint from searching thier data to find people terrorists and child molesters.
Let me get this straight. Liberals don’t support the law enforcement activities of a government that involve looking for terrorists and child molesters, but they will support the law enforcement efforts of a government that dosen’t want thier people to see the evils of Capitalism.
Makes perfect sense to me, actually.
#1 Wino, well said. They do live in a different Universe, one where Murderers should not ever be killed but, it’s OK to kill babies.
#4 Sargevining, Very true.
i wonder if any of the libs here can be cognizant enough for a few moments to have the realization dawn upon them that THEY are in fact, the source of tyranny in the world.
It is a liberal entity that is now responsible for telling a billion Chinese that up is down, black is white, and that Oceana has ALWAYS been at war with Eurasia.
Be strong. Be independent. Fight leftist tyranny!
#6
Yes and NewSpeak the language of the land:
Homeosexual is now Gay
Conservation is now Ecology
Liberal is now Progessive
#7 to continue your list
jungles are now rain forests
a baby is a fetus if you want to kill him
babies are babies if you’re in a car wreck and he dies
racists are activists
terrorists are insurgents
stewardesses are flight attendants
bums and hobos are now homeless
taxes are contributions
slower spending increases are spending cuts
traitors are critics
The PC thesaurus goes on and on and on.
It is “newspeak,” and I’ve fought it from the beginning.
Orwell wrote some very prophetic masterpieces.
This is not the first time Google has bowed to censorship by other countries. In fact Google changed their policy of censorship to gain access to China back in 2002. China had blocked all access.
Google excluding controversial sites
By Declan McCullagh,
CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News: October 23, 2002, 8:55 PM PT
But what about the first amendment? The 1st amendment does not apply to other countries.
Google bows to groups also
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FIRST AMENDMENT?
Welcome to the realities of doing business on a world wide basis.
Squawk, I got it. According to the Liberals at Google, the rights endowed upon us by our Creator do not exist outside our borders.
Which explains all the hoo-hah from the Left about us taking out an evil dictator who denied Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness to all those people in Iraq.
sargevining
#10
yup
What strikes me about companies like Google and Microsoft is the short-term thought process. Yes they can make money in the short-term by bowing to the demands of Communist China, or they could stand on principle and say “we refuse to do business that way because it runs contrary to the way freedom loving Americans do business”. If one of those corporations actually took that stand I would loudly applaud them and sing their praises everywhere I went.
The Chinese would either accept the uncensored product, or they would be forced to develop their own. If the Chinese did opt to develop their own, would Microsoft or Google really suffer that much financially? Making money is great, but there is a limit to what we should be willing to do to make it. I’ve always been very pro Microsoft even when many techies have not, but things like this are really making me rethink where I choose to spend my hard-earned money.
# 4. I couldn’t have said it any better.
Where are all the libs who always complain of the “big, bad, eeevil corporations” out just to make a buck? Isn’t that exactly what Google is doing?
Dictators need to maintain an alternative universe (see comment #2) and it would be problematic for oppressive governments to be seen by their citizens as restricting access to information. Happily for the Communists, Google will do it for them.
What is ironic about this Commie-coddling is that the ChiCom’s capitalist lackeys may be missing out on the larger, long-term opportunity. Interactive technologies are moving much faster than the censors’ ability to keep up with them, like handheld and peer-to-peer technologies. Companies that stake a claim in this space are positioned to be hugely successful when the Great Firewall of China eventually comes tumbling down.
Read more here.
The key is in the name. Communist China. What is it you expect to happen. Every other business or government (the US and WalMart, etal) engaging in trade with Communist China has had to grab their ankles to be granted concessions. Google is just the latest in a long line of enities with their hands out and their buttoxes raised high. I know college grads that think that when the wall came down in Germany it also fell in China, whoops, Communist China and besides, they say, that commie stuff is history.