RSS Subscribe Google.cn: The Internet As Beijing Sees It
In November I wrote an article and referenced a trip that ICMediaDirect.com's VP of Business Development, Diana Lee, took to China. She participated in Shanghai's inaugural ad:tech conference. It was a great trip and our company's ties with China are stronger because of it. Like most Western companies doing business in China, we're just doing business and there are no extenuating circumstances. Google, the giant search engine, cannot say the same.
China is an economic giant warming up to the power of the Internet, but this hasn't been a perfect marriage so far. Centralized power and the decentralized nature of the Internet do not mesh well. Beijing feels compelled to exercise tight control over whatever flow of information they can in order to stifle potential dissent within Chinese society. A governmental missive from 2000 states plainly that Internet providers must restrict information that may "harm the dignity and interests of the state". And it is into the ce
Google.com was already available to Internet users in China, but the search engine launched Google.cn with the purpose of staying competitive in the market, as China already has some big search engines of their own, Baidu specifically. But there is a price to pay. In a stance wholly contradictory to its stated purpose Google must censor websites that the Chinese government finds threatening. Just a few of these sites deemed not kosher include: Bacardi.com, date.com, collegehumor.com, jackdaniels.com, news.bbc.co.uk, pressfreedom.com, queernet.org, and teenpregnancy.org. So, in addition to sites deemed critical to Beijing, websites concerning sex, alcohol, and controversial issues are forbidden on Google.cn, as well.
Now consider an excerpt from Google's IPO filing that reads: "Don't be evil. We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served - as shareholders and in all other ways - by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains. This is an important aspect of our culture and is broadly shared within the company."
Google's foray into China is directly contradicting their exuberant IPO statement. Perhaps they took idealism a little too seriously, but that's forgivable. To date, none of Google's actions have really amounted to anything more than wearing some egg on their face. But Google isn't just any old company hawking its products. These are historic times for the Mountain View, CA bunch, and over the next few years their presence in China will amount to much more than a search engine that censored Playboy.com for the Communist government there.
If nothing else, the last two or three years have shown us the inherent strength of the search engine - and none more than Google. And I believe that an unintended consequence of Google's controversial stance in China has an awareness increase of just how influential search results can be. Comparisons of "Tiananmen" searches are illustrating this.
Several blogs are showing split screen stills of keyword results using "Tiananmen" on Google Images. Google.cn shows picture after picture of a lovely park, while Google.com shows a screen full of those infamous images of a lone protestor in front of menacing tanks. Just one example of real time censorship is being beamed live over the internet, brought to you by Google. It makes for unintentional and terrible publicity for Google. Oddly timed, too, considering Google's righteous defense here in the United States against government intrusion into their own affairs.
From a business perspective Google's position is sound and totally understandable. They knew they were in for a lump or two for caving to Beijing. They said that providing some information is better than providing none at all. In their own defense, Google cited that less than 2% of websites we
 Comments |
|
|
|
3.22 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
| < Prev Article | Next Article > |
|---|