No Booze or Jokes for Googlers in China

By launching its search engine in China and following Chinese government censorship laws, Google has sparked controversy. But the controls seem more haphazard than just dictated by political consideration, according to a CNET News.com survey of the new search engine. Sites opposing the Communist government do not show up in Google searches, but can be reached through links and foreign-service providers. Also puzzling, Google blocks access to many websites with minimal references to sex, alcohol, drugs, and humor, more so than MSN or Yahoo’s Chinese search engines. As a result, Google.cn not only filters out political dissent, but makes an inconsistent attempt to uphold public morality. Many human rights groups are criticizing one of the world’s most successful technology companies for putting itself at the service of an authoritarian country. Google itself responds that it is bound by the laws of the countries where it operates and cannot afford to miss out on entering a huge emerging market of Internet users. But website owners who have been censored – from the University of Pennsylvania engineering school to Bacardi – also want to reach that market. Regardless of whether Google is following its own corporate motto of “do no evil,” entry into China has shown the challenge of balancing a commitment to civil liberties and internet freedom with preoccupation over the bottom line. – YaleGlobal