I'd say this may be worse than anything CNN's done to get access. Afterall, bad as it was/is, CNN was just replaying a tyrant's lies and propaganda, which we all knew was bullshit.

Google on the otherhand is actively aiding suppression of free speech.

I'm glad to see that they're putting principle before profit.

While I don't agree with this move, I think Google is taking the perspective of free trade Republicans that engagement with China will bring freedom faster than refusing to engage China.

Again, not that I agree with it, but if you complain about Google on this, you got to knock the engagement trend with China as well.

It's also worth noting that if they DON'T aggressively make a push to penetrate the China market -- even if it means rolling over on the censorship -- they are certainly opening themselves up to minority shareholder lawsuits. Such is the plight of a publicly traded company.

Michelle Malkin has it covered.

Again, not that I agree with it, but if you complain about Google on this, you got to knock the engagement trend with China as well.

Dunno. There is a difference between a company that's doing business in China making (stuff)- their mission is to make (stuff) and that doesn't have much to do with keeping Chinese citizens from finding out things the Chinese government doesn't want them to know.

Google's business is to help people find information- it rose to the top because it provided better results than any other search engine.

Keeping Chinese citizens from finding out things the Chinese government doesn't want them to know is directly contradictory to that business, and undermines the very quality that allowed Google to rise to the top.

This is not a good sign.

But think of the restaurant reviews.

TO: Will Collier
RE: Google, Microsoft and the Communist Chinese

Another one bites the 'dust'.

I've asked Apple how to replace Google as the primary search engine of their Safari browser. If they can't tell me, I'll move to Mozilla.

As for the rest you bozos who haven't trashed your Microsoft hardware and software since they decided money was more important than freedom....

Regards,

Chuck(le)
[Talk is cheap....and Freedom isn't free.]

P.S. Here is where its going to hurt too. I just realized that my money market accounts are involved with MS and such.

Tomorrow, I'm contacting my account manager and telling him to divest all activities associated with Microsoft, Google, News Corp and Cisco.

The money is NOT important. Freedom is.

But... but... they're standing up to Bush...!

Standing up to Bush and kneeling down before Beijing.

Definitely doing evil.

maybe its just me - but isnt the censorship limited to search topics? If the typical American teenager can bypass safety filtering, can we beleive for a moment that some saavy users from China can do the same?

dtb, somehow I doubt bypassing the filters will be as simple as clicking on the 'preferences' link and clicking the checkbox next to "do not censor my search results".

Currently, the only way to bypass the Great Firewall involves using a proxy, VPN, or using a direct connection that isn't censored (such as those provided to various elites).

TO: All
RE: Done It

Apple has hardwired Google's search engine into their Safari web-browser and cannot tell me how to install another.

Therefore, I've told Apple I'm not using Safari anymore.

I've moved over to FireFox. It has multiple search engines from which I can choose.

Regards,

Chuck(le)

In a perverse way, I think this might be very enlightening for the average Chinese citizen and a very good thing. If ~ as they have stated they intend to ~ Google notes what searches have been censored when the results appear, that's a confirmation of the regime's repressiveness that one reading a newspaper or watching state TV might have long suspected, but had no way to prove. "Results Censored" in their faces how many times a day may well be a big straw for the camel's back.

First blink this was bad and a cop out.

However with some thought I think now that China is going to do it goggle or no goggle. I would rather have US friendly goggle writing the program running the program than a China home grown group who will be China only.

Programs are tricky things loop holes and all kinds of strange back doors and such are found in them all the time like the most recent Microsoft debacle, it happens and the writers are the best to find them or cough put them in.

Not to mention that same info the Chincom's want we would like to have too and also the search info of the Chinese generals and gov leaders would be good to know also. Of course this would never be admitted or done right? May not be all bad we wont know for 30yrs or so.

This reminds me a of a story about a communications chip sold to Poland in the middle of the Cold War the CIA got a minute with first.

They got this same discussion over at Winds of Change. Like the site keep up the good work.

Instead of Google, I have been using Teoma (http://www.teoma.com/) for years. Google returns thousands more "hits", but most of those are dupes or not related to what I am searching for. I only resort to Google when Teoma comes up empty.

(Accidentally posted in another thread as well.)

I note that Google is currently resisting a US "fishing expedition" that wants to look at their search logs for evidence of the widespread availability and popularity of porn searches. Google's cave to China will certainly make it so that they cannot claim technical feasibility problems as a defense when they are soon asked to filter search results for Americans. Coming soon to a search engine near you..."for the children".

I completely agree with Jediflyer...
Purchasing a "Made in China" toy from the Disney store is just as supportive of China's evils as censoring news for them.

Either we end ALL business with them or we abide by their rules over there just as they (allegedly) abide by our rules over here.