Googling China -- censorship or liberation?
As the AP is reporting, Google "has agreed to censor its results in China, adhering to the country's free-speech restrictions in return for better access in the Internet's fastest growing market".
Needless to say (if you know anything about me), I generally object to such censorship. But there's another way to look at this: In the long run, this trade-off could prove to be a boon to political reform in China. The internet is a liberating medium, after all. Is it not better for Google to penetrate the Chinese market with restrictions than not at all?
Even censored, Google could be the thin end of yet another wedge, a wedge that ultimately leads (or at least contributes) to political reform -- and that ultimately benefits the Chinese people at the expense of its brutally oppressive regime.
For more, see The Peking Duck, Battlepanda, and The Heretik.
Needless to say (if you know anything about me), I generally object to such censorship. But there's another way to look at this: In the long run, this trade-off could prove to be a boon to political reform in China. The internet is a liberating medium, after all. Is it not better for Google to penetrate the Chinese market with restrictions than not at all?
Even censored, Google could be the thin end of yet another wedge, a wedge that ultimately leads (or at least contributes) to political reform -- and that ultimately benefits the Chinese people at the expense of its brutally oppressive regime.
For more, see The Peking Duck, Battlepanda, and The Heretik.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
7:22 AM
4 Comments:
In an ideal world the scenario you describe would be the case. I believe that China will brook no criticism and will maintain the strangle hold of nedia censorship on its people and we (i.e. the internet providers) in return for the all consuming $ have 'kow-towed'. Be under no illusions China will allownothing which does not suit the current regime. We are being naive in thinking this might be the case.
By
Anonymous, at 1:55 AM
We would also be naive to believe that there isn't moderating forces within the CCP. There are lots of middle-ground liberals in the tradition of Zhou Enlai and Zhou Ziyang who push for dialogue and compromise between the old hardline left and the Dengist reformers (yes I'm aware that Deng often sided with the hardliners). The increasingly technocratic elite and decreasing age of that elite will inevitably bring reform but it's a slow process. I think Google coming even with censorship is not a bad thing. Censoring all of the internet is impossible and there are other ways to obtain information too.
I had the good fortune to take a seminar with an exchange student from China who was a member of the CCP. She was aware of the injustices that go on in China but at the same time she was grateful to the CCP for having really made great strides over the last 20 years and says that many people there felt the same way. When you take into account catastophies like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution it's not hard to understand the relative tolerance of human rights issues at the present. Real reform takes time.
By
Anonymous, at 12:48 PM
That is an excellent point, the question then becomes is it better for the people of China to have a modified Google or no Google at all. It's obvious China is not going to fold on this as an issue, which is why so many other internet technology companies have folded to their demands.
There is the profit motive as well, which of course is one reason why the companies agree, no profit versus profit makes the decision easier for them.
I agree with Dylan that real reform takes time and they have made great strides when compared to what the Chinese had before. While it is of course less than what we have? Baby steps are better than no steps.
By
Unknown, at 8:01 PM
I think the previous commenters make good points. China is certainly a better place than it was under the madman Mao. But I'm not sure I agree that any Google is better than no Google. The point is, all this is doing is allowing the CCP to have its cake and eat it too. It encourages them in the belief (probably correct) that corporations will ultimately accede to their demands rather than lose out on the Chinese market. I think this gives the CCP enormous power--by elevating economics over politics, they think they can forestall significant political reform indefinitely--and they might be right. I'm not saying we shouldn't deal with China or that we should disengage. For one thing, China is too important to ignore or dismiss. But I don't think that having Google censor itself is going to help political reform in China and it seems totally antithetical to American values.
Another point here relates to globalization generally. Increasingly, American companies see themselves as citizens of the world rather than as citizens of the United States. In some ways, this is probably salutary, but to the extent that these companies feel no loyalty to the professed political values of the US--democracy, openess, etc. or for that matter to the welfare of the United States--I think this is a cause for concern.
By
Anonymous, at 11:26 AM
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