"Don't be evil". This is Google's famous slogan, but even after all we've read I'm still pretty skeptical. After all, I'm studying US history and if there is anything I've learned most large companies are evil and they don't get to be monopolies by listening to their morals. But after a recent hacking incident, Google threw down a challenge to the Chinese government, refusing to play along with their censorship policies anymore. This seemed like a really good, ethical move that I'm not used to seeing in companies. And after reading a recent article, comparing the way other internet companies are responding to China's censorship, I find myself thinking that maybe there is some truth to Google's slogan after all.
Take Amazon for example. On the surface it seems very similar to Google. Massive internet based company that offers its services in many foreign countries. Also like Google, they operate in China. But unlike Google, they submit to Chinese laws and censorship. As a recent article in The New York Times reported, any searches on Amazon.cn about former Communist Leader and democratic sympathizer Zhao Ziyang, the Dalai Lama, censorship in China, etc will bring up nothing. Amazon says that it must respect the laws of the countries it does business in.
Other internet companies, as well as human rights groups, investors, educational institutions, etc, are part of the Global Network Initiative. This coalition, which includes Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google, have agreed upon a set of human rights including challenging foreign countries and their governments to defend freedom of speech and unlimited access to information. Microsoft, however, has taken the same defense as companies like Amazon, claiming that they must obey the laws of the companies in which they operate. This raises a paradox for many companies who have joined the Global Network Initiative yet continue to submit to foreign censorship.
Nobody can be completely good. Despite good intentions, some actions inevitably carry with them harmful consequences. Who knows if Google can be completely guided by ethics in years to come as they face changing leadership and the eventual decline in profits. But for right now Google does seem to be making some good, moral decisions, at least in comparison to their peers. And at least its a step in the right direction.
Works Cited:
The New York Times "New Scrutiny on Censorship Issues for U.S. Companies in China "
http://www.amoeba.com/dynamic-images/blog/censorship-1.gif
Take Amazon for example. On the surface it seems very similar to Google. Massive internet based company that offers its services in many foreign countries. Also like Google, they operate in China. But unlike Google, they submit to Chinese laws and censorship. As a recent article in The New York Times reported, any searches on Amazon.cn about former Communist Leader and democratic sympathizer Zhao Ziyang, the Dalai Lama, censorship in China, etc will bring up nothing. Amazon says that it must respect the laws of the countries it does business in.
Other internet companies, as well as human rights groups, investors, educational institutions, etc, are part of the Global Network Initiative. This coalition, which includes Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google, have agreed upon a set of human rights including challenging foreign countries and their governments to defend freedom of speech and unlimited access to information. Microsoft, however, has taken the same defense as companies like Amazon, claiming that they must obey the laws of the companies in which they operate. This raises a paradox for many companies who have joined the Global Network Initiative yet continue to submit to foreign censorship.
Nobody can be completely good. Despite good intentions, some actions inevitably carry with them harmful consequences. Who knows if Google can be completely guided by ethics in years to come as they face changing leadership and the eventual decline in profits. But for right now Google does seem to be making some good, moral decisions, at least in comparison to their peers. And at least its a step in the right direction.
Works Cited:
The New York Times "New Scrutiny on Censorship Issues for U.S. Companies in China "
http://www.amoeba.com/dynamic-images/blog/censorship-1.gif
No comments:
Post a Comment