With Google’s announcement at the beginning of January that it was prepared to stop censoring the Chinese version of its search engine and withdraw from China, it set off a standoff of epic proportions, as both sides waited to see who blinked first…and today we got our answer.
It was announced today that Google is pulling out of China entirely and setting up the base of operations for its Chinese-language search engine in Hong Kong. This means that Google will end its self-imposed search censorship that it initiated in accordance with the laws of the communist country. Presumably, this bold move is the enactment of Google’s corporate philosophy, Don’t Be Evil, which they clearly feel China should abide by as well.
Google’s hot-headed and overly moralistic actions are certainly confusing, as the company was enjoying a rapidly growing market share in what had previously been a largely untapped Eastern market. But the question remains, why pull out of China now?
I have always wondered what Google’s motivations were when it first started offering a Chinese language version of its search engine and bowed to Chinese pressure to actively censor the search results back in 2000. If their corporate policy is Don’t be Evil, they certainly picked an interesting dance partner in the CCP. I do wonder if Google’s ultimate desire was to subtly influence the Chinese government towards an increased openness towards internet content, and if that is the case, perhaps this withdrawal is a sign of surrender, as internet censorship has clearly gotten worse, not better, over the past decade.
If, however, their motivations were to grow their brand, make money for their stockholders, engage the average Chinese internet user, and develop the internet as the primary public forum in the country, then this past decade can only be considered a monumental success for Google. But this explanation only makes today’s announcement all the more perplexing.
To be clear, Google did say in January that its intention to withdraw its service from China was in part due to the government censorship, but also to serious and sophisticated hacker attacks that originated from inside the country. But even so, this move makes little sense.
If this move is a moral stand on Google’s part, it certainly seems to be ill-conceived. Don’t think that with this move to Hong Kong that Google will simply resume business as usual in China, minus the stringent rules and regulations. The Chinese government has, and will assuredly continue to, take steps to save face in this dispute, which will most likely result in further restrictions and rules being levied against Google’s presence in the country. The Chinese government knows how to play rough, and they really don’t like to be strong-armed into anything.
Further, Google will have its hands full explaining this bold decision to its shareholders, as I would wager they are less interested in moralistic stands and more interested in the rapidly expanding popularity Google was enjoying in the country up until today.
On the other side of the dispute, while it’s tough to say that the Chinese government won this standoff, they certainly didn’t lose it. There is always someone willing to do business and not ask questions with anyone willing to pay, so don’t be surprised if some other search engine company steps into this gap and agrees to the stringent censorship rules of the country.
In the end, it seems Google has made this decision based more on moralistic emotions and less on good business sense. If Google doesn’t like communist censorship, why go into business with them at all? And if Google thinks that the weight of public opinion in China will help their cause, they clearly have yet to learn how public opinion is controlled and influenced by the Communist’s iron grip.
Just wait and see how fast people forget what Google even is when China censors access to the search engine altogether. For right now, at least, Google’s executives might want to consider a new corporate motto to offer their disgruntled shareholders, Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
Did you like this post ? TheTelecomBlog.com publishes daily news, editorial, thoughts, and controversial opinion – you can subscribe by: RSS (click here), or email (click here).
Written by: Jeff Wiener. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.com by: RSS, Twitter, Identi.ca, or Friendfeed
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Why do people consider China a Evil? Please educate me a bit further.
Can the author please define “Evil” for me. It is such a subjective word.
Personally I think Google is Evil. Think of it this way…google wants to be god by storing all information including your personal information, and then sell that information to ad companies. china just wants to protect its peoples interest and create a system that allows them to manage more than 1.5 billion people.
Not sure I can answer the DON’T BE EVIL comment, but, I did write a post on Google’s dominance in the IT space. You can read that post here:
http://www.thetelecomblog.com/2010/02/12/google-building-its-own-fiber-network-google-dont-be-evil/
Is Google Evil ? Not sure. But, it’s a strange tag line because as they grow it invites all sorts of questions, ridicule, and comment. Maybe that’s what they are looking for.
Jeff
“china just wants to protect its peoples interest and create a system that allows them to manage more than 1.5 billion people.”
And the only way to “manage” more than 1.5 billion people is to allow ceaseless, lawless foreign corporate interests absolute control but to impose rigorous censorship standards to quash any potential political uprising? Sounds to me like the “system” could use a little work in the moral department.
I don’t understand what’s Jordan Richardson says. I’m student from China.
George, I was referring to Yang Yu’s comment pertaining to alleged Google’s storing of personal information.
For Yang Yu to complain about Google’s information storing, while claiming that the Chinese government is trying to “protect” its people is ridiculous. The Chinese government is trying to suppress its people. Through censoring search results and shutting off access to social networking sites like Twitter, Chinese government officials frequently eliminate the public’s ability to view political opposition of any kind.
The problem is that Google has mindlessly looked the other way on the issue for so long and, as a result, this move to leave China looks to be a little too late to make any significant difference. Google has already participated in censorship, which is why Mr. Weiner’s article points to the company’s slogan “Do No Evil.” It is apparent, in other words, that Google already has done “evil.”
Along with censoring the people of China systematically, the Chinese government allows corporations and companies, like Google or auto makers or whatever, a way in to the country to pass by laws to make as much profit as possible. They do this while squeezing off the spirit of the Chinese people.
So, in the end, it’s the Chinese government that wants to be “god.”
i dont think the chinese government is evil. it is almost most often the american corporations that are evil. if you say chinese government do censorship, the american corporations also silence its critics and victims via ambiguous legal contract terms and other forms of threats. maybe there is no one side better than the other. maybe they’re all equally ‘evil’!
Plum’s got it about right and it isn’t really about comparing the evilness of a particular group or authority, but I would argue that the Chinese government’s censorship and oppression of its people conceivably does far more damage to the cause of freedom than, say, Google’s ambiguous contract terms.
And when the Chinese government is complicit in allowing corporations to mangle the liberties of the common people to turn enormous profits for all, it’s hard not to find them to be just as guilty in allowing corporations veritable blank cheques to do whatever they want to whomever they want.