The wildly popular Internet company, Google, has sparked controversy after agreeing to censor its search engine's results in China to comply with the country's repressive government regulations. Although some see Google's move as an unethical business pursuit that sells out the principle of providing free, uncensored information, the simple fact is that Google is within its rights to engage in this practice.
Google is operating within the well-established American ideal of capitalism, and realistically, the use of a censored form of Google is better than no form of the product. Furthermore, Google's introduction into China could lay the groundwork, or potentially act as a catalyst, for sparking a movement to reject government censorship.
The censorship measures dictated by the Chinese government include keyword filters, Web site blocking and traffic surveillance. The major subjects being restricted include Taiwanese and Tibetan independence, the Tiananmen Square massacre, cult-related searches and information about Communist party supremacy, not to mention blocking the keyword searches, democracy and censorship. The extent of information control seems shockingly contrary to American ideals, however, Google is simply providing a service to China. The company should not be attacked for complying with the political regulations in a different country and should not hold the responsibility of a moral gatekeeper rather than a search engine company.
Additionally, there is a silver lining; even when a search comes up blank within the seemingly bottomless pit of information available on the internet, the average Chinese citizen should be able to recognize this as a red flag. This resulting awareness can contribute to a curiosity concerning the repressive government.
Google is being targeted unfairly as an immoral, heartless company profiting from government that stifles information it considers subversive. The fact of the matter is that it is well in the company's interest to not fight battles that aren't of their making, but rather provide as much of a service as is within their power - thus doing their small part to illicit change. The old adage goes that if you give a man a fish he will eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he will eat for a lifetime. Google isn't exactly teaching the Chinese how to fish, but it is giving them the rod and reel. And even without instruction, eventually the Chinese people would figure out how to use such a tool and understand why it has limitations.
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Google actually might help Chinese
