Censorship in China: Cost of Doing Business? - The Reaction
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Paris-based Reporters Without Borders was quick to criticize Google for its action. The group's statement made clear its belief that certain principles could not, or at least should not, be compromised. "The launch of Google.cn is a black day for freedom of expression in China...Freedom of expression isn't a minor principle that can be pushed aside when dealing with a dictatorship...By offering a version without 'subversive' content, Google is making it easier for Chinese officials to filter the Internet themselves. A website not listed by search engines has little chance of being found by users. The new Google version means that even if a human rights publication is not blocked by local firewalls, it has no chance of being read in China."
Human Rights in China, a New York-based human rights group, analyzed what Google's filtered Chinese version was leaving out by comparing its results with searches performed on the Taiwan version. A search on "Falungong," a spiritual movement outlawed in China, returned Falungong-managed sites in the Taiwan version of Google, but anti-Falungong websites in the China-based version.
Needless to say, the group was not pleased. "Google joins a host of other leading technology companies, including Microsoft and Yahoo, who have bowed to Chinese government demands in attempts to gain ground among the growing online population. Rather than exercising corporate leadership, these companies and others have instead engaged in 'a race to the bottom,' making concessions that curtail freedom of expression and access to information in China."
Even members of Congress are less than happy. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees (among other things) global human rights, blasted Google in a statement on his website. "It is astounding that Google, whose corporate philosophy is 'don't be evil,' would enable evil by cooperating with China's censorship policies just to make a buck. China's policy of cutting off the free flow of information is prohibitive for the growth of democracy and the rule of law. Many Chinese have suffered imprisonment and torture in the service of truth -- and now Google is collaborating with their persecutors."
Two Congressional meetings on human rights, China, and the Internet were scheduled for February 2006. Four companies were invited to testify: Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google, and Cisco. While no representatives from these companies attended the first meeting (though all sent statements), the second one should get better attendance: since it will be held under the auspices of the House International Relations Committee, organizers will have the power to send subpoenas and force companies to send representatives.
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