Poll: Breaking News: Google ceases censorship in China

Do you agree with Google's decision?

  • Yes

    Votes: 71 71.0%

  • No

    Votes: 18 18.0%

  • Unsure

    Votes: 11 11.0%
  • Total voters
    100
All this means is that Google have decided the damage to their reputation by operating in China according to Chinese rules is no longer worth the money they get from operating in China.
 
Although I don't agree with waltzing into foreign countries and breaking laws just because the same law doesn't exist/differs in your home country, I side with Google on this.

The reasons why China censors the internet is very different to the reasons why drinking, driving or sexual intercourse ages differ cross-country.
 
Duke said:
Personally I'm against this. Although I'd like China to be more open and things, you can't just go there and start going against their laws and restrictions. We moan about others coming here and doing the same thing..
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This. I appreciate what Google are trying to do, but it's the height of hypocrisy.
 
XRAY said:
If they're unwilling to censor their results now, what the hell is their excuse for doing it for 5 years? :mad:
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RDM said:
All this means is that Google have decided the damage to their reputation by operating in China according to Chinese rules is no longer worth the money they get from operating in China.
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In short, the above. They feel it makes more business sense to effectively say goodbye to the Chinese market than to keep taking the flak in the western markets. Call it expensive PR.
 
There's a reason China want's things censored and I am against them trying to, I know it's none of our business but if it's over censorship or freedom for them to browse what they want, pick the best for the chinese public.
 
TBH the British government censor the web too (although obviously not to the same extent) so it's not as if China are alone in doing it. It may be against what we believe in but then we aren't Chinese and as such have no real right to question their rules. If google don't want to adhere to the rules of doing business in China then they don't have to, they can shut up shop completely.

This just seems a half baked publicity stunt mixed with the desire to still make money. If Google really didn't disagree with the Chinese rules they should just shut up shop in China...
 
I for one welcome our Google overlords.

Wilst Google is on dubious grounds legally I support their actions. It is time the people of the world stood up to censorship. Shame it takes a corporation to speak for the masses.

Perhaps Google will help us out once our Government censors our connection to the Internet because you can be sure the general sheep-like populous won't grow a spine and stand up against such things.
 
Beansprout said:
People here are misunderstanding the situation. Google isn't breaking any Chinese laws whatsoever. Just showing up China.

Go Google :D
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From the mighty Wikipedia (:p)

No unit or individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit the following kinds of information:

1. Inciting to resist or breaking the Constitution or laws or the implementation of administrative regulations;
2. Inciting to overthrow the government or the socialist system;
3. Inciting division of the country, harming national unification;
4. Inciting hatred or discrimination among nationalities or harming the unity of the nationalities;
5. Making falsehoods or distorting the truth, spreading rumors, destroying the order of society;
6. Promoting feudal superstitions, sexually suggestive material, gambling, violence, murder;
7. Terrorism or inciting others to criminal activity; openly insulting other people or distorting the truth to slander people;
8. Injuring the reputation of state organs;
9. Other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.[8]
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Surely by redirecting to a non censored search Google is transmitting this information or atleast providing the potential possibility of transmitting it ? :confused:
 
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ChrisJSY said:
Would you accept the same censorship levels here, to those who said no?
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No, but then I don't live in China, it's up to the Chinese to deal with the censorship and any company that wants to deal with/inside china should obey the rules...

Beansprout said:
People here are misunderstanding the situation. Google isn't breaking any Chinese laws whatsoever. Just showing up China.

Go Google :D
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I dunno. They use Chinas domains (cn) and I'm sure they will have an office in China, whilst taking money from chinese companies for adsense so in that sense they are (also do they have servers in China?).

if on the other hand they registered googlechina.com for the chinese website and had no oiffices in china then I would agree with you.

In a similar vein, if Google decided to uncensor all the child porn/terrorist sites for google.co.uk would the UK government be able to do anything about it?
 
Iiiinteresting.

Google.cn isn't uncensored - it's just redirecting to google.hk which is unsensored... and technically is Chineese. :D

Nicely done.
 
trent said:
What right do google have to break the laws of china?
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They're not actually breaking any Chinese laws though. google.cn has ceased to exist, all it's doing is redirecting to their servers in HK, and it's all legal and above board there. The actual searching is no longer taking place on the Chinese mainland, so the laws don't apply.
 
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