Google pulls "we don't censor" statement

The Register, UK ^ | January 27, 2006 | Lester Haines

[Right Wing Assault]

Zero hits? I got 22,100 hits on the uncensored version and 414 on the Chinese version. The difference also was that the first showed the tanks, the second just showed pretty pictures.

Content is more important than number of hits.

[armchairman]

An image search for the Statue Of Liberty in China brings back beach scenes from "The Planet Of The Apes".

[Texas_Jarhead]

Interesting. Thanks for the links.

[Tzimisce]

Okay look - you brain dead idiots on the left just don't get it, so I'll say it again: China is a COMMUNIST state. You know what Communism is - it's the type of government you're fighting to bring here.

And in a Communist state, they control what people see, hear and say. Kind of like 20 years ago when you lefties controlled every media outlet.

There is NO concept of freedom over there - isn't it great? So stop protesting, this is the type of government you want over here.

[zeugma]

I asked before on an earlier thread about google's censorship but noone answered.... Does anyone have URLs for yahoo china and MSN china?

[zeugma]

Yahoo China and "tiananmen"

The only MS site I could find appears to be just a subpage of the MS-US main site. Granted I didn't look too hard. Yet.

[brityank]

I found it -- on Page 5 of 9; 168 links total. The US version has it on page 1, with over 23,700 links provided.

[Richard Kimball]

Google, the New York Times of search engines

Google, we may we cowards, but we're rich cowards

Google, we kiss Communist @ss

[WaterDragon]

do you really think there are no kiddie porn sites in existence somewhere in the world just because they don't show up on a Google search? There is a vast difference between the gov't protecting the most vulnerable of our citizens from criminals, and distorting information to protect the government from citizens wanting basic freedoms.

[WaterDragon]

How about if what I am saying is 'better than before, and we can work on even more once we get our foot in the door'?

China already has a number of search engines providing the same service as Google will be allowed to provide. Basically, Google just wants a piece of the very large pie that is China, and if it means giving them what they've already got -- censorship and Communist gov't oppression, well -- dollars are dollars. On what do you base an assumption that GOOGLE is going to talk the Communists into allowing the Chinese freedoms?

[SauronOfMordor]

Wouldn't Google refusing to comply with China's requirements and therefore not offering service to Chinese users at all be an even more absolute form of censorship?

Not having access to good search engines would be crippling to China's web users. Now, by providing a censored search engine, China can restrict access to the uncensored Google

[JOE6PAK]

What is a better search engine?

[Antonello]

Zero hits? I got 22,100 hits on the uncensored version and 414 on the Chinese version. The difference also was that the first showed the tanks, the second just showed pretty pictures.

And you got these hits searching on Google, while connected to a Chinese IP address, and before the ban on Google was lifted?

[airborne]

Standard Google -

A lot of anti-government pictures

China Google -

It took 6 pages to find this one image. The rest were pretty tourist shots.

[airborne]

See my post # 35. I did find it.

[Antonello]

There is a vast difference between the gov't protecting the most vulnerable of our citizens from criminals, and distorting information to protect the government from citizens wanting basic freedoms.

So censorship is okay as long as it has the WaterDragon Says It's Good Censorship^tm seal of approval on it. What if someone disagrees with you about what is acceptable and wants even more freedom of information?

[Antonello]

China already has a number of search engines providing the same service as Google will be allowed to provide. Basically, Google just wants a piece of the very large pie that is China, and if it means giving them what they've already got -- censorship and Communist gov't oppression, well -- dollars are dollars. On what do you base an assumption that GOOGLE is going to talk the Communists into allowing the Chinese freedoms?

The Chinese government has developed a search engine as powerful as Google and has just been hiding it behind filters. Right. If that is the case, you will soon have nothing to worry about regarding Google in China since a private enterprise that enters a market competition with a product that isn't superior to a government supplied one is guaranteed to fail.

[Reactionary]

Google needs to be banned.

The greedy bastards would sell your mother to the Chinese secret police if they could make a buck doing it.

[Adiemus]

If Google is willing (for profit) to censor in China, why would we assume they do not censor information (or slant information) in America or anywhere else?

Good point. It's interesting to note that U.S. companies bent over and grabbed their heels for Hitler too. If you can't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it... Can't remember who said it, but how true it is.