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Yahoo, Google 'Irresponsible' In China

Posted by timothy on from the who's-at-fault dept.

sava writes "Reporters Without Borders is reporting of 'irresponsibility' of major U.S. located Internet search engine firms Yahoo! and Google 'in bowing directly and indirectly to Chinese government demands for censorship and called for a code of conduct to be imposed.' Maybe there should be a free alternative to these search engines? Or would China ban access to it also?"

2 of 41 comments (clear)

  1. Yea. And Free Software Can Cure AIDS too. by the_mad_poster · · Score: 3, Informative

    Maybe there should be a free alternative to these search engines?

    Okay, Brainiac. Now, all you have to do is figure out 1) what difference it would make since yes, if the Chinese government doesn't like it and can't control it, they'll ban it and 2) the logistics of creating a free search engine to compete with Google which is dedicated specifically to search.

    Here's a thought: maybe the answer to every problem isn't "oo! oo! Make a "free" version of it! Oo! oo!

    If you could install a "free" version of the Chinese government, that would be great. But, until then, I don't see, exactly, what good creating another "subversive" site for them to block would do. If Google didn't bow, it would be blocked. They're not in the search engine business for idyllic world views, they're in it to make money. If you don't like that, don't use them. THEN you can go create your little "free" engine to pit idealism against capitalism.

    Crikey... I like idealistic dreams as much as the next guy, but get real. Google wants to make money, not conform to your bizarre ideas of a perfect world.

    --
    Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
  2. Re:why wouldn't they ban access to it? by Lshmael · · Score: 4, Informative
    Question 10 in the interview with Wikipedia's founder sheds some light on this:
    The block in China only lasted for a couple of days, until some administrators in the Chinese-language wikipedia appealed the ban. My thinking on that is two-fold. First, it's a huge embarassment for the censors if they block Wikipedia, because we are none of the things that they claim to want to censor. Censoring Wikipedia is an admission that it is unbiased factual information itself that frightens you. We are not political propaganda, we are not online gambling, we are not pr0n. We are an encyclopedia. Second, I consider it a moral imperative for our overall mission that we will not bend our principles of freedom, of the freedom of speech, of a commitment to inclusiveness and neutrality, to meet any possible demands of any government anywhere. We are a _free_ encyclopedia, with all that entails.
    If only Google and Yahoo! would take such a stand...