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Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Technology and culture clash: information vs. China
Today representatives from four major tech companies testified before congress regarding doing business in China, which censors, among other things, the information available on the internet (story here). Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Cisco were there to defend their business practices against an angry panel of house representatives who accused the companies of giving into to an oppressive Chinese government. I've only browsed Google's testimony and from what I could tell they didn't disagree, concluding that disseminating some information to the Chinese people is better than nothing. I've rounded up a few relevant links:
A transcript of Elliot Schrage's testimony, representing Google:
At the outset, I want to acknowledge what I hope is obvious: Figuring out how to deal with China has been a difficult exercise for Google. The requirements of doing business in China include self-censorship – something that runs counter to Google’s most basic values and commitments as a company. Despite that, we made a decision to launch a new product for China – Google.cn – that respects the content restrictions imposed by Chinese laws and regulations. Understandably, many are puzzled or upset by our decision. But our decision was based on a judgment that Google.cn will make a meaningful – though imperfect – contribution to the overall expansion of access to information in China.
Jennifer Granick at Wired opines that "the internet cannot be both globally acceptable and a force for democracy":
Still, as various interest groups and regimes impose their values on global communications, the promise of internet-fueled democratic change dims. Spraying the world with a fire hose of information may not be the answer, but it's closer to the right result than filtering the internet down to a trickle. The answer to a global culture clash has to be coexistence, not control.
I'm torn on this issue, but I do have a hard time subscribing to Google's and the others' decision to concede to the Chinese government's censorship of information. On the one hand, nobody likes to see information censored for the purpose of surpressing a people. On the other, Google's philosophy that some information is better than none does make sense. But without context, what good is that information?
Posted by Will at February 15, 2006 09:20 PM in In the News