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Google now against freedom of expression???
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
I just used to love Google for their fight against freedom of expression and privacy of their users, but what they are doing here to China is just not right...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4647398.stm
Do you think Google should do that or not?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4647398.stm
Do you think Google should do that or not?
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
0
Comments
Why is that any different to 99% of businesses throughout the world anyway?
I read it as the goverment in china wanted to restrict what their people could access and Google have agreed to provide a service that would meet their wishes.
But I like the bit where Google mention that they would rather do this then to lose the market in China all together.
That's how I read it too ... which is why the caption confused me. Talk about a misleading header!
Google are a business - it's not up to them to try and change the political system in China. That is for government.
True, but Google was always showing that they were trying to do something new and not act like all corporations...
But I guess this time is finish...
Now Google is just one of them...
I think it is a shame I use to like their spirit...
No they don't say that, but their actions speak by themselves I think...
They rather take the money than fight to try to bring to the world with more tools so they can express themselves freely...
And it's not like they need some cash...
They could have say no and stand against censorship...
They wouldn't have made lot of cash out of it, but their image to the world
would have been even better...
Welcome to Capitalism!
Anyway, I don't give a shit. It doesn't affect .co.uk, and what fucking good are principals, when you could be earning money over it? You either work as a capitalist in a capitalist society, or you go under.
why do you think i dont praise almost any company unliek the OP
Indeed. And lets not forget the likes of France that are itching to lift the arms embargo – instead of seeking to pressurise China over its occupation of Tibet, its appalling human rights record and repressive restrictions of the press.
I don't see people pressuring the US to stop oppressing people abroad, and the slaughter it is doing, as are the UK forces. We are lucky here, they NEARLY forced ISP's to tell the government what we look at - don't think our government in the west is any better! They want to monitor and censor us.
Google, like any private business, focuses on making money, so it is only logical it should do this. I don't get the fuss. Google has ALWAYS been about making money... I don't get you crazy people.
I don't agree with the occupation of Tibet. For the same reason I don't agree with us occupying Afghanistan or Iraq. Both us and China have made the occupied countries worse. Superpowers... tend to do bad things, as far as I see.
Er what about the anti Iraq war movement?
And whether you agree with the Afghanistan and Iraq wars or not one of the key purposes of both wars was to overthrow tyrannous and oppressive regimes with appalling human rights records and spread democracy.
Meanwhile on China and Tibet there's a big contrast between the EU and US positions
Source.
America/Britain are not occupying Iraq or Afghanistan permanently; America didn’t invade Iraq with the objective of Iraq becoming the 51st state. Britain didn’t invade Afghanistan for it to become a colony. Neither the Afghanistan or Iraq wars were for expansionist purposes. China and Tibet on the other hand…
And we have been just as bad, if not made the situation much worse. Well, that went well then.
Looks like we will be there forever at this rate, do you honestly think that if we leave, that people wont go to great lengths to install their WON leader? All we have done, after promising freedom, peace, and a better life is ensure the opposite has been happening. Or at least install a puppet regeime that will bend to our every whim.
B3ta has fun with this too
http://www.b3tards.com/uploads/google_china.gif
:thumb:
google see it as, "self censorship, or no google in china"
simple as that. in order to run google in china, they unfortunately have to comply with the governments wishes (otherwise they'd be blocked).
Nice link
I don’t dispute that, it is a mess. However morally I think there’s a difference between the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Chinese occupation of Tibet. There’s a difference in intention - in motive. While in hindsight I do think the Iraq War was a bad idea I don’t doubt the sincerity of Blair and I don’t think he had bad intentions. While that doesn’t change any of the ensuing negative consequences I think it distinguishes between what we've done and what China did.
And also however messy it is in Iraq and Afghanistan, I like many others believe there is hope and that things will get better. With time I think Iraqis will be better off than what they were under Saddam, indeed many already are. Admittedly improvements for Iraqis have been at a devastatingly high cost but there is hope.
For Tibet the future looks pretty bleak. As China’s affirms its world status and its power and influence grow Western pressure over Tibet will (and already has) wane and whatever pressure is put on China will have less and less impact.
If we cared for the people out there, we wouldn't have let them get to this state - they can barley live now. Blair was just played along by Bush imho - once Again, we ahve proven - NEVER trust American Intelligence reports. They are 90% of the time wrong.
But the focus on this thread was (I think) on a mega-rich company happy to swallow their principles, morals and rights and censor itself in order to make yet more money.
Which is abhorrent, I'm sure we'll all agree.
It also tells a lot about money, greed and capitalism, I think.
Well not quiet. Its about internet censorship and the biggest reason for that isn't google (who wouldn't be allowed in China at all if they didn't), but the Chinese Government.
It does tell us something, but I already knew China was a dictatorship, so I'm not suprised it blocks access to the internet unless they comply.
So my question is what the hell is all the fuss over?
Just because people dont agree with google looking to gain a share in the chinese market so what? (I dont agree with it but it is up to them what they do with thier business not me!) Get over it people and face facts businesses will do what ever it takes to make money
The only reason Google competes with microsoft is so they can gain market share and giuess what... MAKE MONEY!
so fucking shallow you wage slaves.
Heh, another person who shares my view! It is odd, what is the fuss? It's hipocritical ffs!
No matter what are you views on any point, you will always find someone
that agree with them. It doesn't mean the rest of us must agree or take the same view as you.
Also I was thinking that at least they will be implented and who knows, maybe they have a battle plan for it... For example their self-censoredship could have bug and not filter all text properly... But we can always dream...
I agree that the main problem come from the country censoring its people more than Google, but I am disappointed by Google actions anyway.
Companies are all after money, well yeah obviously, otherwise they wouldn't be call it business, but not every single business is read to take money from
anyone specially when they are worth more than 44 billions $ and some companies do have moral and the will to make a difference.
Google might have a strategy here, that I can not see yet, but I still think their actions doesn't match with the image they have been giving all this year as a company.
Stop the presses!
What's the problem? Nothing unethical or hypocritical about making money when it's the only stated aim you have. It's not like they floated the company to hug trees or bail out tramps is it?
I don't know what all the fuss is about. Google will follow the law in whatever "country" they are in.
I agree it would be nice and I am sure some of them do, but probably smaller ones, corporate are just corrupted by money/power...
And who says Google isnt?
Yes they are censoring themselves, but what would the point of them refusing? Would it make ANY impact on China? No, clearly not.
China is changing, and when it becomes more free then people will be able to use Google to learn, simple really.
Google does loads for charity and is doing massive amounts with universities and online databases. This action is understandable and doesnt make them evil.