Slashdot Mirror
Beijing's New Enforcer - Microsoft
QuatermassX writes "The New York Times editorial page comments on the responsibilities of American technology companies doing business in China. From the article: 'Such obvious disregard for users' privacy and ethical standards may make it easier to do business in China, but it also aids a repressive regime. Some in the American Congress are talking about holding hearings. Microsoft has responded to criticism by saying, 'We think it's better to be there with our services than not be there.' This is a false choice. China needs Internet companies as much as they need China.'"
There often is a difference between what's legal and what's right in a moral sense - in other words, the "right" in "a right" is not the same as in "morally right".
China may have the legal right to do whatever it wants with its citizens, no matter what that is, but it doesn't mean that it's morally OK for them to do it. Furthermore, China *did* sign and ratify the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - in fact, there even was a Chinese professor (Zhang Pengjun) on the commission that drafted the declaration.
That being said - as has been reported, there *is* not even a law in China that would require censorship of words such as "democracy". Microsoft is simply sucking up here, in one of the worst ways imaginable.
Fed up with slashdot? I am too.
A country that jails people for expressing opposing political viewpoints is in material violation of the spirit of the free software movement. IMO, there should be an anti-totalitarian variant of the GPL that denies repressive states and their institutions any license under which they can legally run the software or use the source. And the FSF should be suing these states at the Hague daily.
Why should the burden of trying to use software as a lever to lift state oppression fall on the shoulders of Microsoft? If any group has a philosophical goal that is in line with lifting oppression, it is the Free Software movement. So why is Microsoft lambasted in the NYT while the OSDL gets cheered for admitting Red Flag Linux?
- Greg
Start a happiness pandemic
Wow
We're going to censure MS for abiding by Chinese law, while simultaneously maintaining MFN status with them?
And what do you suppose we'd say if some company from another country set up shop here, and refused to abide by OSHA regs or US child labor laws?
This is just...asinine. I can even see an argument that MS should voluntarily choose to not do business in China for ethical reasons, but I just can't see our government mandating it.
Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
This goes back to a fundamental mistake made by many people... a company's purpose should not be to make money at any cost, legal or otherwise. Companies are not mindless entities that must suck as much money as possible from people to add value to its stock price. Companies wouldn't exist without the people that run and own them. Those people have basic moral obligations to society. And I believe those should translate into the corporations they own and run.
In fact, corporations that follow basic morals can make as much or more than companies that do not, in the long run. And that's one of the problems... they often don't care about long term costs of acting unethically. Take Microsoft as an example. If they acted better they'd have more community and corporate support long term. They'd have a much better image and not have to be so reactive to every threat to their bottom line.
Ethics in corporations matter. And more people need to realize that.
Developers: We can use your help.
It's beyond time to question "free trade" when America can't sell it's #1 product: the freedom to say what you want.
Actually, I think that is pretty profound. What is "Western Culture" except science on one hand and the "rights of man" on the other hand. The rest of the world has science now. All we have left to give is Enlightment humanism. Failing that, our culture has no reason to exist beyond Hollywood and Las Vegas.
Giving sh-t to Microsoft for supporting China - an oppressive regime - is a cheap shot that only alleviates our guilt. Did any one of you refuse to purchase the componets from the computers you are using right now that were made in china? Fuelling money into this opressive regime? Did anyone complain about how cheap their latest gadget was because it was manufactured in China? Did you opt out of buying clothing that was made there? Are Microsoft's actions more politically vulnerable to attack? Yes. But lets not forget all the other companies that operate in China that we are all too happy to support. In my opinion, Microsoft getting their software in the door with restrictions is much better than an insulated China-made alternative. Anyone who thinks that it's the microsoft software that's keeping people from free expression, and not the people that are going to come knocking at your door, is crazy. Free expression in China will require people who can avoid detection and get around restrictions anyways - a word filter from Microsoft isn't going to stop them.
"Iran's nucular plan"
Nuclear.
What plans? They stated they had a right to a nuclear energy program. CNN mistranslated "energy program" to "nuclear weapon" and lo! the Bushies were off to the races.
CNN has apologized, but the damage is done.
Bush is duplicating, step by step, the EXACT SAME GARBAGE he pumped out to hose Americans up into a war against Iraq. And he's getting away with it! Save us monkey Jesus! Lord, please kill everyone in the New CNN, MS-NBC, the New Right-Friendly NBC news with your Limbaugh-lovin' Brian Williams, Fox News, Disney's new ABC news for Dummies, the new "balanced" NPR, aah crap.
We've no news here in the US. He's going to get away with another unprovoked invasion.
Believe it or not, Red Staters, it's not against international law for a muslim nation to have a nuclear reactor. Really, it isn't. And the Brown People aren't plotting against you, really. Although they WILL IF YOU GOD-DAMNED ATTACK IRAN, YOU IMBECILES!!!
This is crap. The Project for the New American Century is entering phase 2: Iran and those giant oil fields. Then, phase 3: Syria, to secure Israel, a main goal of the PNACers.
Unbelievable. Bush and his crew are so insulated from real news, AMERICA is so insulated from real news, that he thinks Iraq is a success! He's going to try to launch an air war against Iran, and no one, no news organisation, is going to oppose him. We had bereted types sneaking around in Iran last year, scoping out targets on the ground. That alone was an act of war. Bush has declared yet another war; now remains the task of altering reality so that they are the enemy.
I'm reactivating my Candian evac plan.