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-- Google bows down to China censorship


Posted by Yohan on Jan-25-2006 18:26:

Google bows down to China censorship

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4647398.stm

quote:

Google move 'black day' for China

Google's launch of a new, self-censored search engine in China is a "black day" for freedom of expression, a leading international media watchdog says.

Reporters Without Borders joined others in asking how Google could stand up for US users' freedoms while controlling what Chinese users can search for.

Its previous search engine for China's fast-growing market was subject to government blocks.

The new site - Google.cn - censors itself to satisfy Beijing.


Chinese results toe the line

Google argues it would be more damaging to pull out of China altogether and says that in contrast to other search engines, it will inform users when access is restricted on certain search terms.

It is believed that sensitive topics are likely to include independence for Taiwan and the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, as well as human rights and democracy in China generally.

The Chinese government keeps a tight rein on the internet and what users can access through its so-called "Great Firewall".

The BBC news site, for example, is inaccessible, while a search on Google.cn for the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement directs users to a string of condemnatory articles.

Google rivals such as Yahoo and Microsoft already use censorship in China.

'No surprise'

The company, whose motto is "Don't do evil", launched its new Chinese service less than a week after resisting efforts by the US Department of Justice to make it disclose data on what people were searching for.

Baidu.com's offices in Beijing
Google has lost ground to Beijing-based web search company Baidu

"Google's statements about respecting online privacy are the height of hypocrisy in view of its strategy in China," said Reporters Without Borders (RWB) in a press release on Wednesday.

The result of censorship, it argued, was that the internet in China was "becoming more and more isolated from the outside world" and freedom of expression was shrinking.

According to the Free Tibet Campaign, Google's motto was "in smithereens".

"Through its collusion, Google is endorsing censorship and repression," spokeswoman Alison Reynolds said.

Human Rights Watch told the BBC that if all the search engines acted together, they would be in a strong position to argue for free access.

No blogs

Google hopes its new address will make the search engine easier to use and quicker.


Its e-mail, chat room and blogging services will not be available because of concerns the government could demand users' personal information.

The company argues it can play a more useful role in China by participating than by boycotting it, despite the compromises involved.

The number of internet search users in China is predicted to increase from about 100 million currently to 187 million in two years' time.

A survey last August revealed Google was losing market share to Beijing-based rival Baidu.com.

Last year, Yahoo was accused of supplying data to China that was used as evidence to jail a Chinese journalist for 10 years.

Says no to US, but says yes to China.
Pure economics and hypocrisy

If you want to make money, buy google stocks.


Posted by Jayx1 on Jan-25-2006 18:27:

our cable companies bow to canadian censorship laws... whats the diff?


Posted by Yohan on Jan-25-2006 18:29:

quote:
Originally posted by Jayx1
our cable companies bow to canadian censorship laws... whats the diff?

That's a bit of apples and oranges.


Posted by Orko on Jan-25-2006 18:37:

quote:
Originally posted by EvilTree
That's a bit of apples and oranges.


Exactly what I was thlnking.

This is a pure cash grab by Google. This way they can grab a hold of the China market, which we all know is going to be huge.

I think its funny they are giving the finger to the USA, cause they know they can get away with it. Thcy already have such power.


Posted by Jayx1 on Jan-25-2006 18:44:

quote:
Originally posted by EvilTree
That's a bit of apples and oranges.


Is it?

The government here decides which channels we can watch. Same as china.


Posted by Orko on Jan-25-2006 18:52:

quote:
Originally posted by Jayx1
Is it?

The government here decides which channels we can watch. Same as china.


What type of content is the Canadian government cencoring, compared to the Chinese government?


Posted by Jayx1 on Jan-25-2006 19:25:

quote:
Originally posted by Orko
What type of content is the Canadian government cencoring, compared to the Chinese government?


Howard stern for one. Not to mention all the variety channels from the US.

And how about the media blackouts on certain news like the gomery inquiry? wasnt that interesting when we had to go to foreign news sources to find out how corrupt our government was?

The canadian government also monitors and censors which books we can and cannot have.

http://www.canadianfreespeech.com/petitions/customs/


Posted by Wurm on Jan-25-2006 20:32:

Worm Popper

Talk about unreasonable comparisons.

You have been free to criticize the government on the web.


Posted by Jayx1 on Jan-25-2006 20:48:

quote:
Originally posted by Wurm
Talk about unreasonable comparisons.

You have been free to criticize the government on the web.


If i had posted the details about the gomery inquiry on the web i would have gone to jail

yes we arent as bad as china of course... but we definately have huge shades of the same ways and mindsets that they do.

Lets take care of our free speech problem at home first before we start critisizing other countries.


Posted by Jem_hadar on Jan-25-2006 21:07:

quote:
Originally posted by Jayx1
And how about the media blackouts on certain news like the gomery inquiry? wasnt that interesting when we had to go to foreign news sources to find out how corrupt our government was?



it was interesting indeed.


Posted by St_Andrew on Jan-25-2006 21:43:

to google for this. However, MS and Yahoo have been doing this for some time now, so guess it was going to happen sooner or later...


Posted by harcourt on Jan-25-2006 23:05:

quote:
Reporters Without Borders joined others in asking how Google could stand up for US users' freedoms while controlling what Chinese users can search for.


quote:
Google rivals such as Yahoo and Microsoft already use censorship in China.


How can you give Google shit over their choice. They're in business to make money, not make a human rights stance. The Chinese Government has strict laws, abide by them or don't do business it's that simple. They all do it to stay in business in China.


Posted by Vivid Boy on Jan-25-2006 23:15:

who asked u tw1tch


Posted by dEsidEL on Jan-26-2006 00:30:



i did a google.cn search for the tiananmen square masscre ..

http://www.google.cn/search?hl=zh-C...=cr%3DcountryCN

i wonder if it only blocks based on ur IP ..


Posted by loconet on Jan-26-2006 01:07:

quote:
Originally posted by dEsidEL


i did a google.cn search for the tiananmen square masscre ..

http://www.google.cn/search?hl=zh-C...=cr%3DcountryCN

i wonder if it only blocks based on ur IP ..


Try the images..

.cn:

http://images.google.cn/images?q=ti...%9B%BE%E7%89%87

.ca:

http://images.google.ca/images?svnu...are&btnG=Search


Posted by dEsidEL on Jan-26-2006 01:11:

quote:
Originally posted by loconet
Try the images..

.cn:

http://images.google.cn/images?q=ti...%9B%BE%E7%89%87

.ca:

http://images.google.ca/images?svnu...are&btnG=Search




LOL.. amazing!

so mainland


Posted by tatgirl on Jan-26-2006 02:40:

quote:
Originally posted by Jayx1
Howard stern for one. Not to mention all the variety channels from the US.


I was listening to Stern on my Sirius the other day & a US caller had phoned in. This guy travels a lot over the Canada border & he told a story of how a CDN immigration officer noticed his Sirius player, and they said 'you know that Howard Stern station is illegal here?', but then had nothing to back it up or any such 'law' to enforce. Unfortunately the American didn't know better to tell the officer how WRONG he was- Stern is not banned or illegal in Canada- it just wasn't chosen to be carried here. If that were me, I know my big mouth woulda told him how STUPID he was (most likely resulting in a full car strip & long detention at the border). Sad to know that there are officials who think they can control what an American tourist can listen to in his car.


Posted by Jayx1 on Jan-26-2006 09:10:

quote:
Originally posted by tatgirl
I was listening to Stern on my Sirius the other day & a US caller had phoned in. This guy travels a lot over the Canada border & he told a story of how a CDN immigration officer noticed his Sirius player, and they said 'you know that Howard Stern station is illegal here?', but then had nothing to back it up or any such 'law' to enforce. Unfortunately the American didn't know better to tell the officer how WRONG he was- Stern is not banned or illegal in Canada- it just wasn't chosen to be carried here. If that were me, I know my big mouth woulda told him how STUPID he was (most likely resulting in a full car strip & long detention at the border). Sad to know that there are officials who think they can control what an American tourist can listen to in his car.


whats more sad is that the officials CAN control what canadians listen to in their car.


Posted by Jem_hadar on Jan-26-2006 15:08:

quote:
Originally posted by tatgirl
I was listening to Stern on my Sirius the other day & a US caller had phoned in. This guy travels a lot over the Canada border & he told a story of how a CDN immigration officer noticed his Sirius player, and they said 'you know that Howard Stern station is illegal here?', but then had nothing to back it up or any such 'law' to enforce. Unfortunately the American didn't know better to tell the officer how WRONG he was- Stern is not banned or illegal in Canada- it just wasn't chosen to be carried here. If that were me, I know my big mouth woulda told him how STUPID he was (most likely resulting in a full car strip & long detention at the border). Sad to know that there are officials who think they can control what an American tourist can listen to in his car.


I hope you WOULD have told them! Damn right Nat! (Though that car search afterward would suck! )



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