Slashdot Mirror


Google Shareholders Reject Censorship Proposal

prostoalex writes "At the annual shareholder meeting, Google put forth for voting a proposal for the company not to engage in self-censorship, resist by all legal means the demands to censor information, inform the user in case their information was provided to the government, and generally not to store sensitive user data in the countries with below average free speech policies. As this proposal, if passed, would effectively mean the end of Google's China operations, the shareholders rejected the document at the recommendation of the Board of Directors."

163 comments

  1. And there you have it by Deathbane27 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Google lost the ability to "do no evil" the minute they became a publicly traded company.

    --
    If it ain't broke, it needs more features!
    1. Re:And there you have it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      You really expect any sane businessman to turn down an extra billion pair of eyes on their ads? They still have a company, an incredibly successful public trust, to run.

    2. Re:And there you have it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But no credibility.

    3. Re:And there you have it by matt4077 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You might want to consider that this was actually proposed by one of their shareholders. That's a nice answer to all those "if a company forgoes profit for doing good, it's a crime against capitalism and shareholders" comments I regularly see on slashdot. However, this isn't really "doing evil" but rather "not committing do doing good". Google is still free to implement these measures, they are just not forced to do it. From a management perspective, it leaves more options on the table.

    4. Re:And there you have it by MrNaz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Of course, you are aware that there's a difference between a public company and a public trust. Aren't you?

      --
      I hate printers.
    5. Re:And there you have it by erroneous · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Do No Evil" for Google now means saying "we don't like doing this" but then doing it anyway.

      --
      erroneous: look me up in a dictionary
    6. Re:And there you have it by Yvanhoe · · Score: 1

      I think that what the founder tried to do is something interesting in courageous with their IPO. If they kept it private, as long as they lived and spent their time managing the Google company they could have fight to make the "do no evil" motto hold true. Now they prefered to turn Google in a publicly traded company, that is, a beast of many heads. And now they are trying to tame it to follow the motto. They proved that "not doing evil" was the key of their success, they want the company as whole to understand it. I wish them good luck.

      --
      The Wise adapts himself to the world. The Fool adapts the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the Fool.
    7. Re:And there you have it by Square+Snow+Man · · Score: 1

      You know why? Because `evil' is a matter of perspective.

    8. Re:And there you have it by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Informative

      You might want to consider that this was actually proposed by one of their shareholders


      Yeah. A small pension fund with a very few shares. They hardly represent the majority.

      That's a nice answer to all those "if a company forgoes profit for doing good, it's a crime against capitalism and shareholders" comments I regularly see on slashdot.


      Hmph. I usually see the opposite, but ...

      However, this isn't really "doing evil" but rather "not committing do doing good". Google is still free to implement these measures, they are just not forced to do it. From a management perspective, it leaves more options on the table.


      But Google won't implement these measures and we all know that. The bottom line is that China is too big a market for Google to ignore. Everyone has to remember that Google is nobody's hero. That's not the reason they exist -- they exist to make money. They reward creativity at Google because ultimately it's profitable to do so. They try to make themselves look less evil than other big companies (AOL, Microsoft, etc.) because they it's profitable to do so. I'm not saying that Google didn't start with admirable goals, but today they are a publicly-traded company and their raison d'etre is to create value for their shareholders. So everyone needs to stop putting companies -- particular Apple and Google -- on a pedestal and realize that your relationship with them as a consumer should be if you like their products, use them, if not, go elsewhere.

    9. Re:And there you have it by drgonzo59 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      You might want to consider that this was actually proposed by one of their shareholder

      But you missed the point, in the end it didn't happen!. It is like Serghey saying that making a deal with China wasn't very nice, but they still kept the deal. Don't you see this is all a publicity stunt. The whole "do no evil" might have worked when Goolge was just 10 people in a garage. But tt doesn't apply anymore.

      Yes, there might have been one altruistic shareholder, but it was 1 againts what? 1000? You might as well ignore that one individual as a statistical 'fluke'.

      One of my friends invests in a consumer products company that does animal research. Many rabbits and hamsters are maimed, disfigured and practically tortured, to figure out if the products are "safe". My friend is against animal research (I am not, though), but yet he will not sell his stock in that company. Unfortunately, as sad as it is, $$$$ does make the world go round.

      No matter what moral slogans you hear from "Google" or other companies, they only serve one purpose -- to imporove the public image -- to make more $$$$$. When it comes to "make more $$$" vs. "adhering to a moral principle", then "make more $$$$" wins.

      The way I see it, a good test of moral character for a company (and for a person, for that matter) is if they would be willing to stand by their moral convictions at the expense of a significant loss in profit. Google has failed to do that...

    10. Re:And there you have it by simm1701 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Or you could take the more cynical view that they did the IPO so spread the blame for no longer following that motto.

      "Sorry its not us, its our shareholders"

      Retaining control themselves leaves them an easy target for the media if they go against their stated aims, spread out and run by votes its out of their hands.

      --
      $_="Slashdotter";$syn="OTT";s;..;;;sub _{print shift||$_};s!ash!Perl !;s=$syn=ack=i;tr+LLEd+BLAH+;_"Just Another ";_
    11. Re:And there you have it by mgoren · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Google is still free to implement these measures, they are just not forced to do it. From a management perspective, it leaves more options on the table.
      I don't know much about the politics of public companies, but it seems to me that if Google goes ahead with a policy that was specifically voted down by shareholders, then the shareholders are likely to accuse them of not fulfilling their responsibility. Regardless, Google's Board of Directors opposed the proposal, so it doesn't seem likely they'd try to implement it anyways.

      On the upside though, the fact that shareholders effectively voted for censorship sounds pretty bad... If a lot of people hear about that it could continue to put pressure on the company to pass a similar proposal in the future.
    12. Re:And there you have it by drgonzo59 · · Score: 2, Funny
      GOOGLE: "Do No Evil. Ever!" *(see note below).

      ...

      *NOTE: Except when in conflict with making more money. Otherwise, yeah...whatever, we'll do no evil...

    13. Re:And there you have it by aussie_a · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, but then I tend to think of businessmen as immoral. I wouldn't expect a rapist to turn him/herself in either.

    14. Re:And there you have it by aussie_a · · Score: 5, Insightful

      All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. So either Google is evil or they're aiding and abetting evil. Yes, this was tongue in cheek, but I've seen the distinction "google isn't doing evil, they're just not doing good" to be rather silly myself.

    15. Re:And there you have it by CheShACat · · Score: 1

      Directive 1: Serve the public trust Directive 2: Protect the Profit Margin Directive 3: Uphold the facade Dricetive 4:

    16. Re:And there you have it by maxume · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Google prior to being publicly traded likely would have behaved exactly the same. Larry, Sergei and Eric own enough class B shares between them to decide each and every shareholder vote.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    17. Re:And there you have it by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      Exactly. Google's not evil. It's the stockholders (including me and probably many of you (and apparently the board of directors)) that are evil. How did YOU vote?

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    18. Re:And there you have it by Firehed · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but that note is attached to all US-based publicly traded companies.

      --
      How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
    19. Re:And there you have it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Yeah, but if google were still private, the measure would not have gone as far as it did, because it would not exist. The founders are in favor of aiding Chinese censorship.

      The founders are still the majority shareholders. What the investors want doesn't mean squat.

    20. Re:And there you have it by MikeyTheK · · Score: 2, Interesting

      To be fair, much of any company's stock is owned by mutual funds and other investment vehicles. As a result, many of the votes come from parties that hold large blocks but are more interested in ROI more than anything else. So it's frequently hard to get much of anything passed by "shareholders" since many "shareholders" aren't individuals.

      That being said, as a shareholder I voted for the proposal.

      Do any other shareholders remember if Google's BOD recommended voting FOR or AGAINST the proposal? I think I vaguely remember them recommending voting AGAINST, but I don't remember for sure.

      --
      Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
      Never forget: 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.
    21. Re:And there you have it by drgonzo59 · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Exactly. It was our mistake to regard Google as some kind of entity with 'feelings' and moral convictions. In reality corporations are dumb money making machines (as far as their goal state is concerned). They always try to maximize the "make more $$$" function. If that means saying "do no evil" -- alright. If it means putting someone in jail over the censorship -- sure!. If there is a conflict between "making more $" and "do no evil" the issue gets sent to the PR and finance department that calculates risks associated with each and picks the choice that would ... surprise... makes more $$$!

    22. Re:And there you have it by drgonzo59 · · Score: 1

      You forget, they're still are "the majority of shareholders". So on one hand they say "do no evil" on the other they vote "to do evil". Actions speak much louder than words, that's what I believe.

    23. Re:And there you have it by StarvingSE · · Score: 1

      Robocop, is that you???

      --
      I got nothin'
    24. Re:And there you have it by mmalove · · Score: 1

      Evil, like freedom, like truth, is not always black and white. Sure, information is censored in China via google. But a lot of information gets through to the civilians, information that they otherwise wouldn't have, information that might lead them, through curiousity, to discover whatever was censored through their own pursuits. If google cuts and leaves China, they can wash their hands of those practices we in the US, and many around the world consider wrong. However, they could just as easily say they should pack up and leave the US, due to the invasive nature of the Patriot Act and their inability to do anything but hand over people's personal and private information to the government so long as they operate under US law.

      Also, a publicly traded company can easily keep 51% of it's voting shares in the hands of the original private company owners, so as to maintain control of the direction of the company, if they so choose.

      --
      You can get 15 minutes of fame, but you can go down in history for infamy.
    25. Re:And there you have it by bill_kress · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I really despise it when people talk that way about Google's policy to try to avoid being "Evil". It seems like the act of Google creating a policy designed to remind their employees that it is important to avoid doing things that hurt others or society causes them to be a target for some people.

      It's not like they mean "We never do any evil", what they are doing is telling their employees "Please do no evil". HUGE difference. The only thing I can imagine is that some people see it as the former--them declaring to the world that they are better than all other companies.

      To see people constantly bring up such a goal as a negative makes me ill.

      That said, I have to agree with the parent. Publicly traded companies have a tendency to move towards "Evil" with every stockholder decision. The entire free-market system moves thousands of entities just a little bit closer to the darkside with every vote.

    26. Re:And there you have it by lfourrier · · Score: 1

      Big is evil.

      I'm quite sure that if Microsoft never had more than 15% of the market, there would be no M$ bashing on slashdot.

      Without taking into account the distortions introduced by cross selling or bundling (think Doubleclick, gmail, google apps, google maps, google news, google talk, google googles....), once a company attain a certain size in a market, the market is no longer working as it should. This is one reason why anti-trust legislation was created.
      And the fact that greed is glorified by some is no reason to accept too big corporations.
      So, "do no evil" ceased to have any meaning a few years ago, even before the IPO

    27. Re:And there you have it by Phil-14 · · Score: 1

      Actually, I thought the founders of Google had much more control over the company than a lot of more conventionally structured companies, and that most publically
      traded stock in the company was non-voting, or almost equivalent to bonds?

      (I also think a good punch line would be, if these are the good guys, where do I sign up with evil?)

      --
      (currently testing something about signatures here)
    28. Re:And there you have it by Andrei+D · · Score: 1

      So everyone needs to stop putting companies -- particular Apple and Google -- on a pedestal and realize that your relationship with them as a consumer should be if you like their products, use them, if not, go elsewhere. You must be new here
      --
      We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us
    29. Re:And there you have it by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Google is still free to implement these measures, they are just not forced to do it. From a management perspective, it leaves more options on the table.

      I don't know much about the politics of public companies, but it seems to me that if Google goes ahead with a policy that was specifically voted down by shareholders, then the shareholders are likely to accuse them of not fulfilling their responsibility.

      The shareholders can accuse them all they want - but those accusations are meaningless. Why? Because of an evil hidden in plain sight in Google's stock offering from day one.
       
      Google's stock is structured into two tiers - but only one tier has any real rights to corporate control, dividends, etc... etc... Guess which tier what offered to the public, and which tier is very closely held.
       
      (And yes, it's legal.)
    30. Re:And there you have it by Clyde · · Score: 1

      Fortunately, people do care about more than products. We're not all morons that only respond to marketing (as effective as we know it is).

    31. Re:And there you have it by Clyde · · Score: 1

      People here seem to have forgotten that "Do no evil" is a lame-ass motto. Why wouldn't we want one of the most powerful companies in the world to do some good?

    32. Re:And there you have it by jhoger · · Score: 2, Interesting

      At the end of the day a corporation's primary responsibility is to create shareholder value.

      But it is tempting (easy) to take far too simplistic a view of that.

      Take environmental policy, for example. The simplistic "bottom line" thinking is screw the environment. But it is short term, will upset many stakeholders, and eventually, the government will come in and regulate. All those are serious consequences that will affect shareholder value. Where is the balance point?

      I think one of Google's selling points is its "Do No Evil" motto, and how they have lived up to it so far. If they lose that corporate image and corporate culture, it is a marketing failure for Google in my book.

      -- John.

    33. Re:And there you have it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No they didn't. The shares that they sold in the IPO have 1/10th the voting power of the shares that they did not release. The founders still control 90% of the voting rights. When the article says "shareholders reject ban on censorship" it really means "Google founders reject ban on censorship".

      "Do no evil" is in the eye of the beholder and billions of dollars make for effective rose colored glasses.

    34. Re:And there you have it by drawfour · · Score: 1

      You may have missed something. Not only did it not pass, but the board recommended AGAINST the proposal.

    35. Re:And there you have it by maomoondog · · Score: 1

      Everyone's so positive this choice is morally compromised. Do you honestly think Google pulling out of China would have improved censorship problems for people living there? No, it would simply leave the market wide open for engines like Baidu, who with a Chinese HQ and friends in the Party can be much more easily (and quietly) manipulated. Doing No Evil is more complicated than knee-jerk "don't touch that dirty spot" reactions, which is why shortsighted idealogical proposals like the one that was put forward SHOULD be voted down.

      And all this whining about profit motive?? Tech is one of the few sectors where companies can reasonably align their profit motive with producing value for the consumer. None of Google's products are coercive, the way, say MSFT's are. They've set up their business model so that almost every buck they make is because they made someone's life a small amount easier -- and rarely at anyone else's expense. It's some of the cleanest money around.

    36. Re:And there you have it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Yeah. A small pension fund with a very few shares. They hardly represent the majority."

      FTA: introduced the proposal on behalf of the New York City pension funds and the Office of the Comptroller of New York City

      Yeah, New York City is a small place. Who's ever heard of it? Their pension fund must be tiny, I'm sure.

    37. Re:And there you have it by vuffi_raa · · Score: 1

      don't the board of directors hold something like 66% of the shares though? that means that holding a vote is a moot point because the 2 people that hold the majority of the votes and no matter what a shareholder says, they will just do what they want

  2. The good guys...oh wait by C4st13v4n14 · · Score: 1

    Money was at stake? The outcome was obvious!

  3. Censored post by Timesprout · · Score: 5, Funny

    This post has been censored by Slashdot for crimes against groupthink but is available for viewing in the google cache.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  4. It's all about rights by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The right to profit trumps the rights of others to live without government oppression or intervention.

  5. anti? by gadzook33 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Shouldn't the title read anti-censorship proposal?

    1. Re:anti? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but then how would the trolls know what to say?

    2. Re:anti? by prostoalex · · Score: 1

      That's what it was, except submit.pl accepts titles with maxlength="50", and anti- puts it 2 character over the limit.

    3. Re:anti? by sootman · · Score: 1

      Never mind that, have you heard about their anti-child abuse program?!?!?

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  6. Oh well. by tygerstripes · · Score: 2, Funny
    So, as common sense would suggest Doing No Evil can be a vague condition of employment, not of share ownership.

    Maybe it was the employees who tipped the vote, thereby exercising their latent evilness in the only free arena they have - stock options!

    --
    Meta will eat itself
  7. No wonder by mwissel · · Score: 0

    No wonder the majority voted to reject it. Shareholders have invested their own money and are therefore rather interested in gaining money than following moral laws.

    And China sure is a big market for an IT-company with cheap professionals and lots of potential users. I guess a shareholder wouldn't like to neglect such an opportunity.

  8. PR by McGiraf · · Score: 2

    Nice PR stunt.

  9. Boycott isn't necessarily best by tomhath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There are plenty of good ways to resist censorship and try to bring about change. Refusing to do business in the country is one way, but working within the system is probably more effective. I don't see that Google is wrong here; some other company more willing to go along with the government would take their place if they pull out.

    1. Re:Boycott isn't necessarily best by value_added · · Score: 1

      Refusing to do business in the country is one way, but working within the system is probably more effective. I don't see that Google is wrong here; some other company more willing to go along with the government would take their place if they pull out.

      I watched a Charlie Rose show last night where he interviewed Warren Buffer for the hour. Interesting listening to the thoughts of one of the world's richest and most influential men, but what caught my ear was his answer to a question in regards to influencing policy in China. Berkshire Hathaway (Buffett's company) holds a multi-billion dollar stake in Petro China, and Petro China are the folks developing the oil in Sudan (read "Darfur" for those not inclined to keep up with the news).

      The points he made included the following. Of the 33 largest companies in China, the Chinese government is the largest shareholder in 31 of of them. Berkshire Hathaway's investment, while large, is relatively insignificant by comparison, and then of only a single subsidiary of a single company. The oil from Sudan will be sold, if not to China,then to any one of a long list of willing and capable investors. Oil, being a fungible product sold on a world market, knows no boundaries, so none of us has control or even knowledge of where the gas in our gas tanks came from. If the development in Sudan slowed, stopped or otherwise became more expensive (by China walking away from its investment there, for example), the price of oil in China and the rest of the world could skyrocket, and the US economy, dependent on oil as it is, would get into Real Trouble real fast.

      Now, all the above doesn't relate to free speech issues directly. It does, however, illustrate how complicated the Real World is. If one of the world's richest and most influential men can't influence the government of China when genocide is the subject at hand, and the rest of the world (governments included) are watching, my guess is that few others can. I'd also wager that none of us, whether sitting comfortably in our armchairs, at conference tables in board rooms, or protesting in the street, is able to comprehend fully the complexities of governing a country as large and varied as China. And there is little in US history that suggests that its leaders or its citizens will be capable of understanding very much outside its borders anytime soon.

  10. Do evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They rejected this, it's very telling that they're trying to spin it:

          1. Data that can identify individual users should not be hosted in Internet-restricting countries, where political speech can be treated as a crime by the legal system.
          2. The company will not engage in pro-active censorship.
          3. The company will use all legal means to resist demands for censorship. The company will only comply with such demands if required to do so through legally binding procedures.
          4. Users will be clearly informed when the company has acceded to legally binding government requests to filter or otherwise censor content that the user is trying to access.
          5. Users should be informed about the company's data retention practices, and the ways in which their data is shared with third parties.
          6. The company will document all cases where legally binding censorship requests have been complied with, and that information will be publicly available.

  11. Re:Screw the Chinese by mwissel · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They simply don't miss something they never had. The vast majority of chinese people living in poverty simply won't get to know anything else but the status quo. The Chinese who have the money and influence to change something are satisfied enough with what they have, and don't want risk a live in jail or exil I guess..

  12. what will happen by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    some homegrown search engine will grab the lion's share of searches in china, google will try to buy them and be rebuffed, and, with a dwindling small user base, google will suddenly announce a change of heart and pull out for censorship reasons

    not business reasons!

    pfffft right

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:what will happen by Laukei · · Score: 1

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6598787.stm
      Baidu is already bigger than Google in China.

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5108778.stm
      Google used to own 2.6% of them, too.

      -Rob

  13. Not only China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It would also effectively mean pulling out of France and Germany. And now, if we consider a governmental censorship done through the hands of private corporations to be governmental censorship anyway, they should pull out of the United States, too - what was the name of the American journalist fired for ideologically incorrect depiction of the recent Iraqi war? I don't even bother to mention Russia here.

    Censorship is evil, but it is an inevitable evil. A government that doesn't control the media in its country loses control of the masses to those who does; that's why there is and will always be censorship in all countries, installed either by the local government or by the United States, which seem to have bought lots of media in countries weak and small.

  14. Headline seems totally wrong by jez9999 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Surely 'Google's shareholders have rejected a NON-censorship proposal'?

    1. Re:Headline seems totally wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Even better: Google's management have rejected a non-censorship proposal... Larry Sergey and Eric control more than 51% of the votes with their class B shares. What they want, they get.

      Kudos to them for keeping the stock price up with this decision. I guess they can keep buying overvalued properties like youtube and doubleclick. Somebody's got to keep bubble 2.0 running, eh?

    2. Re:Headline seems totally wrong by Wooster_UK · · Score: 1

      Not only that, but (contra the Slashdot summary) it wasn't Google putting forward the proposal; it was a shareholder. It would be a bit rich for the board to propose a policy and then to advise against it.

    3. Re:Headline seems totally wrong by prostoalex · · Score: 1

      Yeah, well, Slashdot submission form is maxlength="50", so if I had "anti-censorship", it cut two letters off "proposal".

    4. Re:Headline seems totally wrong by noidentity · · Score: 1

      No shit. Awful headline. I guess it's supposed to mean "Google shareholders reject censorship-[related] proposal", but is adding "anti-" such a big deal?

  15. I don't get it. by Otis2222222 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    From TFA:

    "Pulling out of China, shutting down Google.cn, is just not the right thing to do at this point," he said. "But that's exactly what this proposal would do."

    Am I just naive in thinking that this proposal would have no effect on their Chinese operations? Let's say the Chinese government says "hey Google, play ball" and they say "no". What can the Chinese government do exactly? I'd just like to see a company, any company that has some pull, say "what are you going to do about it?" to the Chinese. Only when people doing business grow a backbone will things change and others follow suit. But this could just be wishful thinking. I just think it would be cool if someone actually stood up to them.

    1. Re:I don't get it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      This IS China we are talking about, not the US where most corporations are held just as liable as paris hilton and can buy the legislature.

    2. Re:I don't get it. by MindStalker · · Score: 1

      China has and would block google.* addresses.
      This doesn't mean its citizens would be upset (they might mildly be, but they are used to these sort of things) it simply means they would just go and use yahoo or someone else. Google when it comes to towing the the line in terms of China is the least cooperative, Yahoo turns over IP addresses and such at Chinas request at the drop of a hat. Google figures just being available in China and being better in comparison to Yahoo is "being good".

    3. Re:I don't get it. by drgonzo59 · · Score: 1
      Only when people doing business grow a backbone will things change and others follow suit.

      Let me guess, you were one of the ones who really fell for the "Do No Evil!" slogan...

      I just think it would be cool if someone actually stood up to them.

      If it will make more $$$ they'll stand up to China, if it will cost $$$$, it won't happen. Everything a company does is PR just to improve the public image, just to make more $$$$. Sorry to dissappoint...

      Did you ever wonder how come big companies regularly funnel millions of dollars for sport's arenas, public park, halls, museums, big stupid and pointless sculptures called "art". Do you really think that the greedy CEOs just want to be altruistic and help others? If that would be the case, they money would go to local homeless shelters or to the starving and sick people of which there are plenty all around the world. And most of all, it would happen anonymously, without all the fanfare and publicity, because that is how I would expect someone who only want to "help" others to go about it.

    4. Re:I don't get it. by aussie_a · · Score: 1

      Google says it can't censor as it won't achieve anything and Yahoo will just take over their share of the search engine audience.

      Yahoo says it can't censor as it won't achieve anything and MSN will just take over their share of the search engine audience.

      MSN says it can't censor as it won't achieve anything and Google will just take over their share of the search engine audience.

      See the problem with being willing to help a bad government? It means everyone else does it as well.

    5. Re:I don't get it. by maxume · · Score: 1

      Because Baidu doesn't even exist right?

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    6. Re:I don't get it. by flooey · · Score: 5, Informative

      Am I just naive in thinking that this proposal would have no effect on their Chinese operations? Let's say the Chinese government says "hey Google, play ball" and they say "no". What can the Chinese government do exactly?

      First, they can revoke the google.cn name. Country code names are subject to the regulation of the country they're associated with.

      Next, they can eliminate all of Google's operations in China. Google has employees and datacenters in China that are completely subject to Chinese law and can be shut down by order of the government.

      Third, they can block resolution of google.com and any other Google-related name around the world. This already happens periodically to google.com, that's why they have google.cn, but they could do it completely.

      Countries are more than able to control what does and doesn't go on within their borders. China could easily make Google completely inaccessible to its residents.

    7. Re:I don't get it. by trianglman · · Score: 1

      That may be part of the business logic. But there is also the fact that, if forced, China will just block all the western search engines completely and set up their own China only portal. I'm almost surprised that they haven't already, but I guess that is only being held back because of hopes for better trade agreements with the US. If Google, Yahoo, and the rest stopped censoring, China itself would do it, and do it more forcefully and poorly. While I don't buy into the "Do no evil" mantra Google tries to feed us, they have successfully fought to protect some user privacy in China. It just can't do everything because then China won't let it do anything.

      --
      Clones are people two.
    8. Re:I don't get it. by MrMarket · · Score: 1

      Am I just naive in thinking that this proposal would have no effect on their Chinese operations? Yes
    9. Re:I don't get it. by jandrese · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, a big reason Baidu is so big in China is that they don't get randomly blocked by the great firewall. Remember that for the most part people just want to do their searches, they don't care about the great rights struggle and whatnot. If Google doesn't work 50% of the time then people will just switch to one that does, even if it is run by the Communist party and not as good.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    10. Re:I don't get it. by ChronosWS · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Don't forget: Four: China could throw a bunch of Google's Chinese employees in jail on whatever charges they like, creating a PR nightmare for Google ("Yeah we tried not to do evil, but a lot of our people are in jail now, their lives permanently ruined.") For good measure, China could execute a few. That would bring any other company thinking of 'doing good' right into line. This of course simplifies the politics associated with China doing business with American companies, but it is not outside the realm of their capability (nor I imagine willingness) to do if they thought it would help them keep control.

  16. Overly verbose? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How many words does it take to say "nothing happened"?

  17. No need to get out of China by pipatron · · Score: 4, Interesting

    not to engage in self-censorship, resist by all legal means the demands to censor information, inform the user in case their information was provided to the government, and generally not to store sensitive user data in the countries with below average free speech policies. As this proposal, if passed, would effectively mean the end of Google's China operations

    I fail to see how this would end their operations in china.

    • It's not self-censorship if they are forced by law to do it.
    • They can resist by all legal means to censor information, but if it's illegal to display a certain type of information, they are complying with the law.
    • As far as I know (I may be wrong here), Google need not submit any user information to the Chinese government.
    • ...nor do they need to store user data in China in order to operate there, at least no more than a temporary cache couldn't solve (where temporary means a couple of minutes for each user)

    Or what did I miss?

    --
    c++; /* this makes c bigger but returns the old value */
    1. Re:No need to get out of China by Bob9113 · · Score: 1

      It's not self-censorship if they are forced by law to do it.
      Or what did I miss?


      I think you missed the meaning of the word, "Self." The fact that the government of China requires Google to censor their content does not mean that it is not self-censorship. Only that it is government mandated self-censorship.

      When I go out on the freeway and drive 65 miles per hour, it is not the signs on the side of the road that cause my car to go 65 miles per hour, it is me self-regulating my speed. The government mandates that I self-regulate, and punishes me if I don't. They could install governors on cars that would make it impossible for me to speed, that would no longer be self-regulation.

      Likewise, China could put a content filtering firewall around Google's servers - then Google would not be engaged in self-censorship. But when Google is the actor, it is, "self-censorship."

      It seems that you are saying, "Google self-censoring is not wrong, because China requires it." That may be so, but you framed it as, "Google censoring their content does not count as self-censoring because they are required to self-censor." That is ridiculous.

  18. Verbal Modding by WaZiX · · Score: 1

    "-1 Redneck"

    You don't choose the Socio-Demographic conditions you happen to be born in, you just got lucky.

  19. Do no evil Make more money. by Marbleless · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Another champion shown to be false.

    Nothing else need be said .... sadly :(

    --
    --I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.
  20. Re:Screw the Chinese by Timesprout · · Score: 3, Funny

    I will bear this in mind when you get taken for an extended waterboarding vacation in Gitmo.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  21. Rock and a hard place by Radioheadhead · · Score: 1
    Ya gotta feel for Google--talk about a tough choice!
    • stand by your principles, reject censorship, and kiss off about 1/4 of the world's population from using your service, or
    • remember your bank account, your kids' college fund, your retirement fund, swallow hard, and knuckle under
    Grown-ups only need reply.
    1. Re:Rock and a hard place by DogDude · · Score: 1

      remember your bank account, your kids' college fund, your retirement fund, swallow hard, and knuckle under

      Yeah, because Google is just barely scraping by.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    2. Re:Rock and a hard place by pla · · Score: 1

      * stand by your principles, reject censorship, and kiss off about 1/4 of the world's population from using your service, or
      * remember your bank account, your kids' college fund, your retirement fund, swallow hard, and knuckle under


      You left out option #3 - Stand by your principles, don't set up a physical point of presence in oppressive countries, do everything possible to help their citizens get to your service despite their governments' best efforts, and tell the oppressive governments to go pound sand.

      Not quite as profitable as simply abandoning all principles, but gives the best (possible) of both worlds.

    3. Re:Rock and a hard place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The people who decide these decisions are worth a stockholder vote got their college fund, retirement fund, etc. well taking care of. That second private jet though ...

  22. Re:Do no evil Make more money. by Marbleless · · Score: 1

    Hmmm, interesting.

    The subject should have been

    "Do no evil {less than symbol} Make more money."

    but /. took the {less than symbol} out of the title (and this the text) ..... grrrr.

    --
    --I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.
  23. Of course it was... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Larry Page and Sergey Brin hold a majority stake in the company plus the structure of the share class prevents outside shareholders from really having a say in anything Google does.

  24. Re:Screw the Chinese by tefflox · · Score: 1

    This is the most ignorant comment I've heard in over three hours. By your logic Americans have the government they deserve. Do you appreciate being flipped the bird by a pinhead president who couldn't pronounce your username?

  25. Yay! by PHAEDRU5 · · Score: 1

    Go fascism!

    --
    668: Neighbour of the Beast
  26. That's the spirit! (sort of) by N3wsByt3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "I don't see that Google is wrong here; some other company more willing to go along with the government would take their place if they pull out."

    "I don't see where I'm wrong here," the hitman said, "if I don't do it, some other hitman would take my place if I pull out".

    The argument that doing something unethical becomes ethical (or less unethical) because others would do it if you don't, is nonsensical.

    --
    --- "To pee or not to pee, that is the question." ---
  27. just like congress by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Its interesting how much this mirrors our own congress... when money is at stake, they vote against liberty and freedom.

    Money is definitely the new god.

    1. Re:just like congress by Chyeld · · Score: 1

      People have worshipped money long before it was even a formalized concept backed by governments. It's not a new god; it's simply the reigning god.

      However what is more interesting in the parallel between Google and Congress is how willing people are to attribute voting down one proposal as a complete sell out of principles as opposed to attributing it to a disagreement on how best to achieve a common goal.

  28. Google's new motto by Ikoma+Andy · · Score: 1

    Lose no profits!

  29. This is not evil by KingSkippus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm failing how to see how this is evil.

    Let's not kid ourselves. These proposals were aimed at doing the following:

    • Getting Google to stop serving China.

    I think the misguided idea here is that Google can single-handedly pressure the Chinese government into giving free speech to its citizens. The rationale, I suppose, is that China wants Google so badly that they will shed off oppression just to have it.

    If you believe this, you're fooling yourself. There's not a damn thing that Google can do to give people in China the right to free speech. If this proposal passed, the Chinese government would simply block Google from all of China, and by the time the Chinese people do hopefully have free speech someday, they'll all be using Yahoo and MSN instead of Google.

    If you don't like the fact that the Chinese people don't have free speech, be mad at the right people, the people who are actually responsible for it: The Chinese government. Stop being so indignant with companies who are doing what they can with the rules they have to play with.

    • Force Google to fight things like the DMCA here in the United States

    I'm all for Google fighting the DMCA. However, I am not in favor of forcing them to, which is exactly what this proposal would do. They should have the right to choose the battles they wish to fight. If I start my own business and decide that I (and my shareholders) want to fight for the prevention of animal cruelty and dedicate some of my profits towards that goal, that's noble. If an outside group decides that I (and my shareholders) should fight for the prevention of animal cruelty, and then we get raked over the coals because we decide that there are more worthwhile causes to take up, well, I wouldn't care so much.

    Is repealing the DMCA a priority of mine? Yes. Do I call people (or companies) "evil" for not making it a priority of theirs? No.

    And is anyone thinking that this is a double standard? Even in the United States, Google engages in proactive censorship. I'm sure there has been at least a few cases of national security information the government didn't want to get out being taken down, and we know that copyrighted videos have been pulled. In the case of China, this proposal says that Google is supposed to say, "To hell with it, we're going to do it anyway." In the case of the United States, though, Google is supposed to say, "We'll use legal means to resist."

    • Compel Google to break international laws.

    As for telling people when Google has to disclose information about them, I actually would be in favor of such a proposal. It sounds like they are trying to keep Google for doing something like getting someone arrested, and when you cross the line from censoring your own operations and ruining other people's lives, it's a different ballgame.

    But keep in mind a couple of things. First of all, it's not like China is the only place this can happen. If I used Gmail to send out terrorist threats here in the U.S., our government would compel Google to turn over my personally identifiable information. Is that a bad thing? I don't know, but there's no practical way Google can say, "Okay, this is a harmless joke e-mail, so we'll wipe the user's data. This is Chinese free speech, so we'll wipe the user's data. Whoops, this is a terrorist threat, so we'll keep this around for a while." Even if they could, I'm not so sure that is such a good idea, either. Again, there's a double standard of impractically expecting Google to comply with U.S. law, but thumb its nose at international law.

    Also, to my knowledge, Google hasn't turned over personally identifiable information to a government like China. Is there some reason to think that it has? Or that if it was ordered to, that Google wouldn't fight it as vigorously as possible? How do we know that it hasn't already happened, and unlike Yahoo, Google was successful? It seems to me that compared to other soulless bastard corporations, Google would be one of the most likely to actually care about stuff like that.

    1. Re:This is not evil by aussie_a · · Score: 1

      Getting Google to stop serving China Funny, I thought it was about getting Google to stop aiding a government in censoring free speech.

      I think the misguided idea here is that Google can single-handedly pressure the Chinese government into giving free speech to its citizens. Well no, what it can do is pressure the Western search engine businesses to stop dealing with China. After all, how terrible would Yahoo look if it continued to aid the Chinese government in locking its citizenry away when Google had pulled out of the market? Then it could raise cultural awareness in America to progress to other business sectors who would then pull out and move their factories back to America (or some other country with a better human rights record). Then Congress would no longer be dependent on China for its manufacturing and could start to pressure on them.

      the people who are actually responsible for it: The Chinese government And the government does this with no help from companies, right? Google never helps the government in censoring its people, right? Google offers uncensored search engine results, right?

      However, I am not in favor of forcing them to, which is exactly what this proposal would do. They chose to go down this road when they created their IPO. If companies won't keep themselves to a high moral standard, then I wish luck on anyone that would. After all, becoming a publicly traded company is optional. If you can be profitable with your immoral choices without becoming publicly traded, all the best to you. I just hope that if your business choices become too unacceptable Congress will step in.

      Compel Google to break international laws. Can you point out the relevant quote please?
    2. Re:This is not evil by KingSkippus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      what it can do is pressure the Western search engine businesses to stop dealing with China

      Get a clue. China doesn't care. The top search engine in China is Baidu, not Google. I don't think you understand that if Google and every other Western search engine simply went away in China, there would be no riots in the streets, no calls to action, nothing at all. China would simply keep censoring its citizens. There is nothing to be gained here. Nothing.

      how terrible would Yahoo look if it continued to aid the Chinese government in locking its citizenry away when Google had pulled out of the market

      Here's a little experiment: Go out on the street and ask ten people at random what they know about Yahoo's participation in Chinese censorship. I guarantee you that 9.9 out of those 10 people will say that they don't know anything at all. (That last person only counts as 0.1 because they're lying just to try to look smart.) So the real answer is, Yahoo wouldn't look terrible at all. People aren't going to feel better or worse about Yahoo because of something that Google does.

      Then it could raise cultural awareness in America to progress to other business sectors who would then pull out and move their factories back to America... [blah, blah, blah]

      You're dreaming, right? Don't you think that Americans already know that the government in China is oppressive? I mean, we tend to hide under rocks, but please, go out and ask ten more random people whether they think the Chinese government is oppressive. I guarantee you that 10 out of 10 of them will say, "Yes, I do." And to say that other businesses will care how people feel towards Google or Yahoo to the point of shutting themselves off to the largest market in the world... I change my mind, you're not dreaming. You're clearly on drugs.

      And the government does this with no help from companies, right? Google never helps the government in censoring its people, right? Google offers uncensored search engine results, right?

      Now you're just being silly. Yes, the Chinese government would do this with no help from companies. Google doesn't "help" the government do anything, that implies that it's in collusion with the government. Google simply abides by the laws it has to in order to provide service. Google does exactly the same thing here in the United States, where there are also laws on what it can and can't show.

      I'll say it once again since you don't seem to get it, and I'll put it in obnoxious bold letters so maybe it will start to sink in: Google does not censor the Chinese people. The Chinese government censors the Chinese people.

      Can you point out the relevant quote please?

      Sure, here it is: "Users will be clearly informed when the company has acceded to legally binding government requests to filter or otherwise censor content that the user is trying to access." If a government requests for Google not to disclose that they've ordered it to turn over personally identifiable information, what is Google to do? On the one hand, they have a company policy that says they must. On the other, they have a legal obligation that says they can't. If they follow their company policy (as you would have them do), they've broken international law. If they don't, they look twice as bad for not only giving up personal information and not telling the person whose information it was, but they broke their own company policy, a policy expressly created to keep that from happening, in doing so. There's no way to win with such a policy.

      Of course, there's also a technical problem that's been completely overlooked here. Let's say that the Chinese government orders Google to turn over the IP addres

    3. Re:This is not evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Is repealing the DMCA a priority of mine? Yes. Do I call people (or companies) "evil" for not making it a priority of theirs? No.
      Is not killing people even when I could probably get away with it a priority of mine? Yes. Do I call people (or companies) "evil" for not making it a priority of theirs? Yes.
    4. Re:This is not evil by gilroy · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Blockquoth the poster:

      There is nothing to be gained here. Nothing.

      You're wrong. There might be nothing material to be gained. Indeed, it would probably lead to a loss. But for some of us, at least, moral stature is another thing to be valued. Google would gain because it would cease odious practices -- they would be better.

      The cynicism that none of this matters would be shocking if it weren't so prevalent. Shareholder-led business activism can lead to real and positive change. We knows this because it already has.
    5. Re:This is not evil by KingSkippus · · Score: 0

      There might be nothing material to be gained. Indeed, it would probably lead to a loss. But for some of us, at least, moral stature is another thing to be valued.

      No, there is nothing to be gained here, financial, material, or moral. That's my point. None of this matters. That's not cynicism, that's practicality.

      If you think that abiding by Chinese laws makes Google "evil," then you're going to have a very, very, very hard time feeling good about any company. I can't think of a single big company that doesn't have some sort of dealings in China, and they all abide by Chinese law when doing so. (Well, as far as I can tell, and when they don't, I suspect that most of them are doing it to make more money, not as some sort of rebellion against censorship.)

      You sound like one of these people who would lecture me about how evil it is that I have a nice little house out in the suburbs instead of donating every cent I earn above the poverty line to charities to feed third-world children. Just because Google and I aren't saints, just because we don't sacrifice our own well-being on some futile gesture, does not make us evil.

      Like I said, if Google starts getting people arrested and ruining their lives, come back and talk to me. But for now, I still see Google as one of the better companies out there, not "evil."

      Oh, and by the way, if you're really that concerned about government censorship, I would once again advise you to worry more about the U.S. government. It's not as bad as China, but unlike China, it has been heading in a seriously wrong direction these past several years. And if you must address Chinese government censorship, I assure you that there are much, much more effective ways to fight it than calling Google evil. You could, you know, write some letters to your Congress critters to try to get the U.S. government to put more pressure on China. It may not work either, but it has a hell of a lot more potential than slandering Google's reputation on Slashdot does.

    6. Re:This is not evil by KingSkippus · · Score: 1

      Because morally, restricting fair use rights = killing people, right?

    7. Re:This is not evil by KlomDark · · Score: 1

      Ignore this guy, he sounds like a paid astroturfer to me.

    8. Re:This is not evil by KingSkippus · · Score: 1

      Heh, I wish I were on Google's payroll.

      No, I'm just annoyed at how people are so eager to complain bitterly about a company that is one of the few decent ones out there.

      From everything I've seen and heard, Google treats its employees very well compared to the rest of corporate America (thus me wishing I were on their payroll). The people they have working there are unbelievable smart. They provide extremely valuable services, 100% gratis. They even provide APIs to their software for you to use in clever and original ways. They've driven other companies to radically think about how they provide services. (Anyone else here remember when Google provided a gigabyte of e-mail when everyone else was providing like five or ten megabytes?) They're a huge contributor to the development of open source software, sponsoring such initiatives as the Summer of Code. Yes, they even fight poverty, disease, and global warming in new and inventive ways.

      Yet because they abide by international law—like every other company that deals with China—they're vilified here. That's just not right.

      Let's not kid ourselves. Google isn't evil, but it is an extremely wealthy company. There are people here who resent companies that get extremely wealthy, no matter how noble their goals are or how much they do to try to make the world a better place. There is a contingent of people who feel like they must tear down big companies, and they grasp at whatever straws they can to try to do so.

      If Google did pass that proposal and miraculously managed to end government censorship in China—actually managed to get the Chinese government to pass a First Amendment like the U.S.'s!—these people would still find something to complain about. It's not about government censorship, it's not about Google being evil or not evil, it's about them being very, very rich.

      I'm not paid to think some way or say anything. But when I see ignorant people going after people, companies, or organizations that are actually making positive differences in the world for something so stupid and contrived as not doing enough to change China from oppressive communism to being even more free than our own country, yeah, that bugs me.

      For what it's worth, I also think that John Edwards would make a great president, that Charmin toilet paper is the best out there, that Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days is the best show on television, that my HP 2335 LCD monitor is the most gorgeous monitor I've ever laid my eyes on, and that Honda makes very reliable automobiles. I suppose that means I'm also being paid by the Edwards campaign, Proctor and Gamble, News Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, and Honda Motor Company. If only I were so lucky.

      Oh, and if I were paid by Google, they would probably frown highly on me calling you an idiot. And you are, indeed, an idiot. There, satisfied?

    9. Re:This is not evil by manifoldronin · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I think the misguided idea here is that Google can single-handedly pressure the Chinese government into giving free speech to its citizens. The rationale, I suppose, is that China wants Google so badly that they will shed off oppression just to have it.


      Well, I think that is not so much a misguided idea as a straw man of yours. Most opinions I have read on /. are not about how Google is looked up to be "the messiah for the freedom of speech in China". All most people are saying is every bit of Google's effort in resisting the Chinese government's censorship will add that much pressure. And with Google's market share and high profile, that can end up being a lot of pressure - not only pressure on the Chinese government, but also pressure on its peers like Yahoo and MSN.

      If you believe this, you're fooling yourself. There's not a damn thing that Google can do to give people in China the right to free speech. If this proposal passed, the Chinese government would simply block Google from all of China, and by the time the Chinese people do hopefully have free speech someday, they'll all be using Yahoo and MSN instead of Google.


      What do you mean "there is not a damn thing Google can do"?! If Google is not blocked, its search results will be different from those other search sites that are either state-controlled or self-censored. If it is blocked, then the Chinese people would wonder what's there that their government don't want them to see (as in the wikipedia blocking case)). And that's still better than showing them content censored by the government, because then the people won't know better.


      Now, I'm not suggesting that Google should try to be the hero and disregard its shareholders' interest, but I'm more sick and tired of arguments like yours, which are not far from arguing "what's the point of donating $100 bucks if that's not going to be even remotely meaningful for relieving the Katrina damages."

      --
      Tyranny isn't the worst enemy of a democracy. Cynicism is.
    10. Re:This is not evil by Bob9113 · · Score: 1

      I think the misguided idea here is that Google can single-handedly pressure the Chinese government into giving free speech to its citizens.

      I think that is either a ridiculous straw-man, or you genuinely miss the point. It is not about changing China, it is about whether participating in a market implies that one condones that market. Google has chosen to remain in a market that requires them to engage in political self-censorship. Maybe for good reasons, maybe for bad. Maybe it makes them a good company, maybe bad. But the question here is not whether China should change (though that is an interesting, separate, question), but whether Google, by participating in that market, is violating their epithet, "do no evil".

    11. Re:This is not evil by KingSkippus · · Score: 1

      every bit of Google's effort in resisting the Chinese government's censorship will add that much pressure

      Yes... Pressure for the Chinese government to completely block Google. And as I've pointed out before, Google is not a major force in China. It's not even the most used search engine, Baidu is. (A Chinese search engine which, you'd better believe is heavily censored by the Chinese government.) I'm astounded at how much "pressure" you and others here think that Google can place on the Chinese government or other businesses. I cannot emphasize how wrong you are. The answer is none. Not a little, not miniscule, not some contribution to an aggregate amount that will someday change the country. None.

      what's the point of donating $100 bucks if that's not going to be even remotely meaningful for relieving the Katrina damages.

      It's more like, "What's the point of donating 3 cents for relieving the Katrina damages?" In the end, it doesn't make a difference at all, and the effort it takes to process those three pennies actually takes away from Katrina relief efforts. It's the exact same thing here. Going after Google, a company that has significantly contributed to this and other communities for something that will literally make no difference at all isn't helping the situation. It's only hurting a good company for no reason (which is—should I say it?—evil) and distracting people from real ways they can make a difference.

      I'm not suggesting that Google should try to be the hero and disregard its shareholders' interest

      Good. Because this policy has nothing to do with being a hero. There was nothing to be gained here. No money for shareholders, no moral high ground, no difference to be made in the world. Nothing. It was a lose-lose situation, and the shareholders were wise to have voted it down. That's not evil, any more than me deciding not to go withdraw a wad of cash from the bank and setting it ablaze is.

    12. Re:This is not evil by N3wsByt3 · · Score: 1

      "No, there is nothing to be gained here, financial, material, or moral. That's my point. None of this matters. That's not cynicism, that's practicality.If you think that abiding by Chinese laws makes Google "evil," then you're going to have a very, very, very hard time feeling good about any company."

      I don't really see how that can be true, in a logical sense. While "evil" is subjective, once you agree that an action or a law is evil, then abiding by that law is evil too. If a law in some country would force every company to use childlabour, and you deem childlabour to be wrong (evil), then abiding by that law eans that you are doing an evil thing.

      In the case of the chinese; if they ask for the IP-adres of a political activist so that they can put them in prison and you deem that to be evil, then abiding by that law (which google must do, if they want to stay in business there) is evil too.

      Whether one gains something (financial or otherwise) isn't really the point when it comes to the morality of abiding by unethical laws.

      You could be right, of course, that google may still be one of the 'better' companies out there, but the point is, their slogan is 'do NO evil'. If they don't want to be hypocritical, they either adhere to that (including forgoing profits if it means doing more evil), or they should change their slogan. (a bit in the line of: "we don't try to do evil, but will be doing it if profits are big enough").

      One *can not* claim to be an upright and ethical person (or company) and willfully abide to laws which one deems to be unethical - not even Google.

      --
      --- "To pee or not to pee, that is the question." ---
    13. Re:This is not evil by manifoldronin · · Score: 1

      Yes... Pressure for the Chinese government to completely block Google. And as I've pointed out before, Google is not a major force in China. It's not even the most used search engine, Baidu is. (A Chinese search engine which, you'd better believe is heavily censored by the Chinese government.) I'm astounded at how much "pressure" you and others here think that Google can place on the Chinese government or other businesses. I cannot emphasize how wrong you are. The answer is none. Not a little, not miniscule, not some contribution to an aggregate amount that will someday change the country. None.
      Well, your repeated "emphasis" doesn't mean anything. Geez, if we could all argue our point by repeatedly saying "you are wrong", life would be so much easier, wouldn't it?

      I don't see any rebuttal to my earlier point - that if google gets banned, its high profile (it does NOT have to be the leading search engine in China to have a high profile) will make the Chinese people wonder what the hell the government won't want them to see. And before Google gets to the point of getting banned, its non-censored/less-censored content will provide the Chinese people some baseline against the censored content.

      It's more like, "What's the point of donating 3 cents for relieving the Katrina damages?" In the end, it doesn't make a difference at all, and the effort it takes to process those three pennies actually takes away from Katrina relief efforts.
      I find your insisting on using 3 cents rather than 100 bucks amusing. As if that would help making your point. What's the difference between 100 dollars and 3 cents _figuratively_, when compared to the billions of dollars donation people around the world made _collectively_?

      It's the exact same thing here. Going after Google, a company that has significantly contributed to this and other communities for something that will literally make no difference at all isn't helping the situation. It's only hurting a good company for no reason (which is--should I say it?--evil) and distracting people from real ways they can make a difference.
      Really? Why don't you give us some example for the "real ways they can make a difference," In terms of helping the Chinese people gaining more democracy and human rights?
      --
      Tyranny isn't the worst enemy of a democracy. Cynicism is.
  30. Grandstanding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is just grandstanding.

    "Do no evil" my ass.

  31. Good for Google. by Cinnamon+Whirl · · Score: 1
    Google is here to make money, not sort out what you think is someone else's problem. And if the founders, shareholders, or employees want to support a cause, then that money is the best way to do it.

    Democracy and the rights that are associated with it are all about self determination. As the name implies, self-determination is something you have to take for yourself - you cannot be given it. See Iraq. Hell, see the US. You took your country - you weren't given it, and it is now one of the strongest democracies on Earth.
    Incidentally, as the article mentions China, there is an old saying that Mao was supposedly fond of:

    Revolution can neither be imported nor exported He was talking about Communism, of course, but I think it applies well to any change in Government.
    1. Re:Good for Google. by gilroy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Oh, BS. This wasn't a proposal that Google hire gun-runners and try to overthrow the Chinese. It was a proposal that Google refrain from odious practices. Yes, it would cost them money. No, it wouldn't cause the Chinese Communists to wake up and say, "Oh, wait, we should allow free speech".

      It would have been a principled stand. It would have been an example. And once Google was on board, attention could be turned to other companies that conduct odious operations in collusion with the Chinese government.

      Don't think organized business activism can make a real difference in the world? Think that "someone else" will always just make up the difference and the system will not change? I'd suggest you talk to someone from South Africa...

    2. Re:Good for Google. by Cinnamon+Whirl · · Score: 1

      You make a good point in your first paragraph - perhaps I was getting carried away.

      However, I don't believe this would have much value as an "example" - China wouldn't care, as you said, and while I think we agree that censorship is bad in general, in this case I think Google should continue making money, and the individuals there putting it good use, is perhaps more important. That is what a company does, regardless of whatever idealist mottos they may have chosen in the past.

      And, finally, I do agree that businesses can make a difference - my point was that foreign powers (be they business, government, individual or whatever) shouldn't - that can only happen when a domestic population as a whole wills it.

  32. Re:Screw the Chinese by morari · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The parent is flamebait, huh? Not quite. If people aren't willing to help themselves, they certainly aren't worth the time for others to help. The power of the ruling class(es) means little when the numbers are against them. And this regurgitated "they don't know any better" is such a lame cop out. They may not know the exact extent of their oppression but I'm sure that more than enough of them feel that they are being oppressed.

    --
    "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
  33. Re:Screw the Chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Yes we ARE! He was elected twice. If people don't like it now then too bad, shouldn't have voted for him or wasted a vote on a green party candidate.

  34. only 10% or less of shares floated by cslarson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When Google went public only a small portion of outstanding shares were floated. Besides, don't they have a different share class structure. What I'm saying is that the IPO didn't cause this vote to turn out any different. The people who voted this resolution down are the same people who decided that their company would "do no evil". It is absolute bull shit for American companies to participate and aid China in their censorship efforts. There is absolutely no excuse.

    1. Re:only 10% or less of shares floated by niceone · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, mod parent up - portraying this as a bunch of anonymous investors deciding what Google should do is inaccurate. Page, Brin, and the CEO have super-voting shares worth 10 times normal shares - they are in 100% control of Google.

  35. "Do no evil, unless shareholders vote otherwise." by Ruvim · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Here you go, google's new slogan at it's clearest.

  36. Let's not be so quick to judge by Nymz · · Score: 1

    Right now times are tough at Google. Their profits aren't very high, and their position is so precarious they might go out of bussiness any day.

    At this time they can't afford to refuse assisting the Chinese Communist Party with oppressing people. But one day, when they are doing better and profits are higher, then I'm absolutly positive they will stand up and Do No Evil.

  37. Re:Do no evil Make more money. by maxume · · Score: 1

    If you want it to show up in text, use a character entity: <. You need to type < to get that to show up and &lt; to get what I just typed to show up(and so on).

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  38. What are you talking about? by REggert · · Score: 3, Informative

    >>Google lost the ability to "do no evil" the minute they became a publicly traded company.

    Your statement is, in fact, utter nonsense.

    Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin together possess 66% of the voting power in the company, which is more than enough to shoot down any proposal that the directors (i.e., they) disagree with.

    The result of this vote was a decision by the founders, and NOT by random shareholders.

    --

    cp /dev/zero ~/signature.txt

  39. Made in China by alexgieg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder how many of the people here complaining about this do personally refuse purchasing any "Made in China" goods. Because, you know, all Chinese companies are partially owned by the Chinese government itself, and an awful number of them employ slave (yes, slave) labor.

    I myself am pretty much against what the Chinese government does to their citizens, but when faced with the question "How do I extend my paycheck to cover the whole month?" it's very difficult to say "No!" to Chinese products. Maybe not all, but surely many Google shareholders face similar questions.

    The only solution for these dilemmas would be for Western governments as a whole to take action. Individuals like you, me and, yes, Google shareholders, simply don't have the power to make anything happen.

    --
    Conservatism: (n.) love of the existing evils. Liberalism: (n.) desire to substitute new evils for the existing ones.
    1. Re:Made in China by 0p7imu5_P2im3 · · Score: 0

      Most PC's are something like 95% made in China.

      --
      Resistance is futile. Your technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. You will become one with the morgue
  40. Re:Screw the Chinese-There IS unrest in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I don't think the parent poster should be modded down, he points out a seemingly obvious fact that SHOULD be said, so it can be responded to!

    There was a fascinating interview on BBC a couple weeks ago, wish I could find it, with a reporter in China who visited a town where 20,000 people had revolted at a new transportation tax of sorts. The reporter made the comment that there are something along the lines of 100-200 revolts PER DAY going on anywhere in China...

    It is simply hard to grasp how large a country like China is. 20,000 people may sound like a lot, but in a country of over 1,000,000,000 that is absolute peanuts.

    There IS civil unrest in China, and lots of it. Maybe that is why the government is so afraid and clamps down so hard on the flow of information. It will simply take an extreme amount/miracle/unification for any sort of actual change to occur, if it ever does. China is a country of 50 ethnicities, hundreds of languages...

  41. What is evil, exactly? by TheCRAIGGERS · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The whole "do no evil" / China thing is quickly becoming one of my pet peeves. There is no all-encompassing moral code.

    If you go to another country, you abide by their rules or you face punishment. The belief that "our" way is better than China's way is the same kind of thinking that got the US in the Iraq war. (Oh, look how wretched they are! We most go liberate them!) All countries have PR campaigns that try to keep the populace going a certain way, China just goes further.

    Yes, my stance is a slippery slope; so is the opposite way of thinking. The point is, YOU can't be sure that YOU are GOOD.

    1. Re:What is evil, exactly? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is no all-encompassing moral code.

      I agree, who's to say Hitler was wrong, and one shouldn't have cooperated in mass killings by Nazi? They're just following their own moral code.

    2. Re:What is evil, exactly? by swordgeek · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's actually a very astute and thoughtful point.

      "Our" way of thinking implies an 'us vs. them' mentality, which is what leads to many problems in the world--perhaps most of them, in fact.

      (As an aside, I'd suggest that the invasion of Iraq was a carefully planned bit of empire-building wrapped in 'us vs. them' for the sake of garnering popular support. You can judge for yourself just how far in advance this was planned by reading the Project for a New American Century.)

      In this case, it's a fairly simple proposition, though: Censorship is bad. IF you accept that claim, then yes--turning down an anti-censorship policy for the sake of corporate profits is bad. In fact, turning down even a provisionally good policy (i.e., based on the idea that censorship is generally bad for most cases) for profit-driven reasons can be argued as bad.

      Does this rejection stink? My feeling is yes. However, that is a single-case and somewhat informed opinion. Your point that "China==censorship==bad!!!" is a stupid and thoughtless attitude still stands strongly. I hope more people consider it.

      --

      "People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
    3. Re:What is evil, exactly? by fireylord · · Score: 0

      If you go to another country, you abide by their rules or you face punishment. The belief that "our" way is better than China's way is the same kind of thinking that got the US in the Iraq war. (Oh, look how wretched they are! We most go liberate them!) All countries have PR campaigns that try to keep the populace going a certain way, China just goes further.
      err, ok, so it wasn't the oil now?
  42. Re:Screw the Chinese by Tofystedeth · · Score: 1

    True, but, how many of those people will gain anything by a revolt. Most of them will be just as poor as they were before. Which is not to say there is nothing they can do, or that they should not do something, but that it is understandable why they would not.

    --
    "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deeply or not at all."
  43. Re:Screw the Chinese by ni42 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Actually, based on what a couple of my friends encountered when they visited China, it's worse than that. A large number of them follow the dogma that the Chinese government knows best, and rabidly support the propaganda they're fed. In other words, they DO care, but they are (duh) misinformed (to put it mildly). They don't see themselves as oppressed any more than overprotected religious children see themselves as sheltered -- and it's not their fault. The whole *point* of censorship, after all, is to keep people from seeing things about reality that would shake up the current power structure.

    (This isn't to say that Google has the power to change this; I don't think it can.)

  44. Google - American Traitor!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Google is an American company and should uphold American ideals. Instead they are being subverted by foreign powers and greed to the detriment of this great country. I am personally sick of American companies that are so selfish they harm others in this world and actively work to degrade Americans and their beliefs. They now fall in with Haliburton, who has moved its headquarters to Dubai to avoid American laws and taxes, while still pretending to work for the good of America and people in general. These companies are working for their own good only and I am Greatly! disappointed in the situation.

    Doug K.

  45. Moving servers... by WK2 · · Score: 0

    and generally not to store sensitive user data in the countries with below average free speech policies.

    Wouldn't that be a problem, since their primary headquarters is in the United States? They would have had to move a lot of servers to another country. That would cost a fortune.

    --
    Write your own Choose Your Own Adventure. http://www.freegameengines.org/gamebook-engine/
  46. New motto by RingDev · · Score: 1

    "Google is still free to implement these measures, they are just not forced to do it. "

    Actually, they probably are not free to do so. Sure, they could attempt to do so, but as soon as it effects the bottom line, the board of directors would squeal and the stock holders would force them to give up the practice in favor of their legally obligated profit.

    For get "Do No Evil", as soon as they became publicly traded their motto changed to "Share Holders' Bitch"

    -Rick

    --
    "Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
  47. Not just China... by owlnation · · Score: 1

    It would also mean pulling out of Germany, France, and a few other European countries that demand, and receive, anti-nazi censorship from Google.

  48. Friendlier to China than US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Doesn't anyone remember when everyone was extolling Google for being SO pious by not giving information to the US government about users when asked? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic le/2006/01/19/AR2006011903331.html

    And even then it was only to do the research to develop a proper child/porn/censorship act. We wonder why lawmakers think the internet is "tubes" and vote treacherously on internet copyright issues and digital management etc. and then we deny them the kind of information that can be used to be effective at all.

    So does anyone else find it ironic that Google has no problems bending to the will of the Chinese government's demands to censor itself, but the US government ASKS for some anonymous data and it's all "Don't tread on me!"

    Wonder what the Borg's real agenda is.

  49. Re:Screw the Chinese by bananaendian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    People get the government they deserve. If 1,000,000,000 chinese aren't concerned about their own basic civil liberties why should I?

    I couldn't agree more. However when 10,000 of their most active members and leaders gather at around Tiananmen Square and get shot dead and run over by tanks it tends to discourage the rest. The few exchange students and workers from China around here are timid and compliant. They don't even admit they know anything about those events. They are completely into the consumer culture and fashion. There is no life in them. Its like with the today's Irish. Hundreds of years of British oppression and brutality made sure that the only ones that are left are the descendants of the cowards, the collaborators and the incompetent. I am reminded of this whenever I visit the shithole Dublin has become.

    The Tamk Man was the last rebel...

    --
    www.tribalnetworks.org - helping tribal people around the world to own their own means of high-tech communications
  50. Yet again by Wookietim · · Score: 1

    Money wins over morals.

    --
    http://timcol6.freehostia.com/
  51. Forget China - They Censor in the U.S. by George+Johnston · · Score: 1

    They wrote code to protect Bush from "miserable failure" - China isn't the only place they censor results that are embarassing to the ruling regime.

    --
    Orignator of the Miserable Failure Googlebomb
    1. Re:Forget China - They Censor in the U.S. by Dan+Berlin · · Score: 1

      No, they wrote code to avoid results that people don't find useful.
      Pretty much none of the googlebombs returned relevant results, so they fixed that

    2. Re:Forget China - They Censor in the U.S. by George+Johnston · · Score: 1

      More like broke it. Can you find a better result for failure than George W. Bush?

      --
      Orignator of the Miserable Failure Googlebomb
  52. MOD PARENT UP by MrMarket · · Score: 1

    Yeah, but if google were still private, the measure would not have gone as far as it did, because it would not exist. The founders are in favor of aiding Chinese censorship.

    The founders are still the majority shareholders. What the investors want doesn't mean squat.

    The fact that Google is a public company makes no difference in whether or not they do business in China. If anything, shareholders now have more power to publicly call out Google when they do "evil." Affairs in a public company work much like politics; few things happen at once, but there are incremental changes in attitudes and policies as share holders defend thier interests.

    Another example is the Berkshire meeting, where a resolution proposed divesting from PetroChina because some (okay, most) believe that they fund state-sponsored genocide by drilling in Sudan. The resolution didn't pass, but it got a a lot of press, and probably resulted in an incremental shift in attitudes. It also forced WEB to take a closer look at the issue before the meeting.
  53. Suggested tags by Ophion · · Score: 1

    evil thecorporation greed money

  54. Morality Isn't About Evil by EgoWumpus · · Score: 1

    You seem to think that the culture in which you live, in which you promote through your adherence to it, has nothing to do with you. Many companies now deal with China, widely regarded as being total bastards on the civil rights count. Let us look historically, back in time, to America's own struggle with this. Did most companies deal with southern states during it's period of segregation? Why, yes, they did. Did it make it right? No. And did boycotting work? Yes.

    Times change, of course, and the means by which we can enact the changes we want to see also change. But it still holds that we have to *be* the changes we want to see; if we cannot take a stand on censorship, how can we possibly expect China to? Three hundred million people over here still have the ability to sway the opinion of three billion people over there; that is, we will if our way is better.

    Google may not qualify for sainthood - a brilliant search engine only counts for one miracle. But they do have a choice to take a moral high ground or not. And given the size and public nature of their company, they have the ability to sway what other companies consider to be good or bad practices. This effect may not, in and of itself, be world-altering, but it is a stand, and it is a moral one to take. If they choose against it for the sake of China's market - for profit or whatever reason - then that is a choice about who they want to be.

    And as citizens, we have a right to say what we want our companies to be like. We are free to express it in many ways. Congress is not the end-all to our ability to speak. We can say, "Google, you done be doin' wrong." Indeed, if we think it, we should say it. We should say it to every individual, government body and company that supports a culture we do not agree with. Only in this way does sufficient support arise for the better path to be followed. The point is that every front needs to be addressed; not only those fronts that are considered 'socially acceptable'. If we have a problem with corporations in America supporting 'evil' deeds overseas; then we should address them, as much as we should address the legislature. The problem with only coloring within the lines is when those lines don't actually create the picture you want to see.

    --

    [Ego]out

    1. Re:Morality Isn't About Evil by KingSkippus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      if we cannot take a stand on censorship, how can we possibly expect China to?

      Fine, take a stand on censorship. But by hounding Google, you're doing it wrong. I can't say this enough, it seems, so I'll bring out the obnoxious bold letters again. Google has no impact whatsoever on whether or not the Chinese government censors its citizens. None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Goose egg.

      Could they take it up as an issue and maybe make an impact using their financial resources? Maybe. But then, they could also take up fighting genocide in Darfur. They could take up preventing AIDS in Africa. They could take up womens' reproductive rights. They could take up building tidal wave detection and alerting systems in southeast Asia. They could spend every dime they have on solving the world's problems. They already spend a lot. Which other ones should they take up? What do they have to do before they're no longer evil? Go bankrupt?

      If anything, by hassling Google, you're actually being counterproductive, as there are much more effective means of trying to make positive changes than wasting your time griping about a company that has absolutely no say-so in the matter at all. Do you really feel so strongly that filtering search results in China is so evil that you should boycott Google for doing it? I'm sorry, but that's pretty stupid.

      Plus, if this is the standard by which you judge whether a company is or isn't evil, then you're pretty much screwed supporting any company. As I've said, every company that deals with China at all has to abide by Chinese laws. Do you have a television? Did any of its parts come from China? You obviously have a computer, who made all of the components in it?

      Oh, and what do you plan on doing about the U.S. government? That's right, our own government. You know that huge national debt that we keep hearing about? Guess who owns $416.2 billion of it? That's right: China. Just to put that in perspective, that's just shy of the amount of money that has been spent on the Iraq War. That's right, put another way, China is indirectly paying for our little experiment in spreading so-called democracy. (You sure as hell didn't think that we were paying for it, did you?) So unless you want to move out to the wilderness and get by on subsistence farming and hunting, I guess you're supporting oppression in various places around the world.

      So of all the productive things that could be done to help unfetter the Chinese people from government oppression, and of all the ways in which you depend on China to live a normal life, why are you singling out Google to pick on? I mean, I already know the answer, but I'm interested in seeing what you have to say.

    2. Re:Morality Isn't About Evil by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 1
      But then, they could also take up fighting genocide in Darfur. They could take up preventing AIDS in Africa. They could take up womens' reproductive rights. They could take up building tidal wave detection and alerting systems in southeast Asia. They could spend every dime they have on solving the world's problems.

      Yes, they could. However, comparing these activities to no bowing to Chinese government pressure is comparing apples and oranges.

      In the cases you mention, Google is not abetting or exacerbating the problem (unless they're doing something I don't know about to spread genocide, AIDS, tidal waves, and inequitable treatment of women). In not passing this resolution, Google says it's fine if the Chinese government asks for their logs - it's perfectly OK to hand them over. It's fine to help the government censor information. Both of these actively hurt those who fight for their freedom in China and, as such, Google is doing evil. Perhaps they are right in their moral calculus when saying that the access to information they give Chinese people balances out these smaller evils, but they set the bar pretty high when they (of their own accord) chose their motto: Do no evil. Unless no or evil has changed it's meaning recently (I'll Google it later to check), this action is not in line with the corporate slogan they wrap themselves in.

      There is only one thing worse than being evil - crowing about not doing evil and then doing it anyway.

      --
      That is all.
    3. Re:Morality Isn't About Evil by Krotos · · Score: 1
      As I've said, every company that deals with China at all has to abide by Chinese laws. Do you have a television? Did any of its parts come from China? You obviously have a computer, who made all of the components in it?

      While computer component manufacturers operating in China are also technically subject to Chinese censorship laws, as a practical matter, such laws are irrelevant because of the nature of their business. Google, by contrast, is an Internet content provider. Unlike computer component makers, in order to legally do business in China, Google necessarily has to be directly involved in enforcing/enabling these odious laws.

      The moral (although unprofitable) choice for Google is to not do business in China. And a good choice for those looking for an alternative search engine which doesn't filter its results for any country is, IMO, http://clusty.com/.

  55. baidu.com/sohu.com by msbmsb · · Score: 1

    Google already has huge competition with baidu.com & sohu.com. Baidu is very similar to google, and sohu is closer to a yahoo-ish portal with games, search, real estate, maps, media, etc.

  56. Thailand by Improv · · Score: 1

    It seems particularly relevant that Google recently bowed to pressure from the Thai government to remove criticism of their monarch due to lese majeste laws. It's a shame...

    --
    For every problem, there is at least one solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
  57. Re:Screw the Chinese by badonkey · · Score: 1

    I'm sure someone else is wondering, too, so I'll ask...

    What comment did you hear three hours ago?

  58. I was thinking... by Floritard · · Score: 0, Troll

    Google should just pull out of China and, in secret, play cupid between Microsoft and China. Microsoft is dying to get in on Google's market, and China requires a company with very little scruples to do its bidding. Red China and Redmond. I'm thinking match made in heaven. I'm sure Vista Live would be more than happy to implement China's new online game playtime restrictions at the kernel level. Even the Zune is probably an amazing little gadget to people who have lived in abject poverty for all of their lives. China can certainly spread venemous propaganda against the already uncooperative Google and thwart any future web-based office solutions in the country, a coup for MS Office. While Microsoft continues to spiral into the dumper with stale hubris here in the states, they could eventually relocate operations completely to China. Then in WWIII when we duke it out with China, we can all feel better knowing we're going after true evil, like the good old days in WWII instead of all this bullying in the desert of late. Imagine an enemy waving big red flags with the windows logo displayed fearsomely across its face. True terror. But now that China has moved all of it's important military software to Windows, a concerted effort from script kiddies around the world should be able to crash their whole system within days. If we are victorious, we bring down an oppressive government and a software monopoly in one fell swoop.

    Or Google could just stay in China and bank off of over a billion people too docile and controlled to change their world. Business as usual.

  59. Better than... by KingSkippus · · Score: 1

    Oh, and even if I were a paid astroturfer, at least that's a hell of a lot better than the bitter ugliness that is you. Nice attempt at trolling, though, and let me just say that it's an honor to make your "freaks" list.

  60. The principle never was "do no evil"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...it was "don't be evil" (my emphasis). There's a difference.

    They can argue that until they reach a level of 50% evil they have not yet reached a tipping point over into actually being evil.

    "Do no evil" is much more absolute - it doesn't allow even one instance of evil. But that's not what they promised.

    Of course, some of us would say that once they acquired Doubleclick they reached that 50% point anyway...

  61. "Shareholder" votes are really Directors' votes by quixote9 · · Score: 1

    Directors in many companies cast about 95% of the votes. Either individual shareholders don't bother to vote, or the fine print lets Directors vote unvoted shares, or any number of other dodges. As someone who owns some stock, I've watched these machinations for decades.

    The title was also very misleading. It should have been: Google shareholders reject ANTI-censorship proposal.

    The plain language version of what happened is that the Board of Directors wants to keep operating in profitable China. Since they effectively control the voting process, they've said they'll use as much censorship as it takes to do that.

  62. Re:Screw the Chinese by tefflox · · Score: 1

    Oh I just happened across a radical conservative hate mongering blog calling the ACLU (of which I am a proud, card carrying member) an agent of evil working to ruin the country. Things have to change. How much longer can we tolerate this blind stupidity of political awareness and drooling tolerance of a feeble-minded, empty suit of a president?

  63. Re:Screw the Chinese by tefflox · · Score: 1

    Score 3: Insightful? I think not. The numbers are always in controlling the media and grassroots modes of communication, and massive unilateral, fascict military mobilization --- does a certain Square come to mind?

  64. Re:Screw the Chinese by tefflox · · Score: 1

    How are a billion chinese poor going to facilitate the revolotion when the government controls every mode they might use to communicate, cencors all internet content, has all the tanks and machine guns and spyplanes and clean, dry socks? Don't be a typical ugly American.

  65. The day they turned evil is now on record by Snaller · · Score: 1

    When was this vote again?

    --
    If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
  66. Re:Screw the Chinese by glrotate · · Score: 1

    Apparently you're under 12 years old and missed the russian revolution of the 90's.

  67. New slogan: "At least, don't *enjoy* being evil" by jemenake · · Score: 1

    Google lost the ability to "do no evil" the minute they became a publicly traded company.
    Exactly. Even Michael Moore said (in "The Corporation") that he doesn't blame corporations for acting the way they do. The shareholders insist on it.

    Here's a little thought experiment that I do with people to open their eyes. To each question, answer whether "all" (>90%) of shareholders want the company to do this, "none" (<10%), or "some" (>10% and <90%) want the company to do this:
    - Switch entirely to hybrid vehicles for the corporate fleet
    - Stop using foreign labor
    - Stop giving money to Republicans
    - Stop giving money to Democrats
    - Stop dealing with countries with questionable human-rights policies.
    - Make the stock price go up.

    I expect that the only thing you answered "all" to is "Make the stock price go up". The fact that the shareholders have all put their money into your company usually means that they each are looking to make their money grow. So, the one thing that they can all agree on (and, hence, what usually trumps everything else) is that they want to see the money coming in.

    I'm not sure what the solution is. Maybe the voting needs to be extended not just to shareholders, but to stakeholders... like residents of the areas where the company operates. Dunno. But, if you keep the voting exclusively to the people who have bet on that horse, I think you're going to get a predictable result every time.
  68. Absolutism IS Evil by EgoWumpus · · Score: 1

    Google has no impact whatsoever on whether or not the Chinese government censors its citizens

    Not true. Patently untrue. Google does business with and in China. Their impact may not be large, but withdrawing from the market would be noticed by them. But that's not the point. If Google withdraws from China on account of China's censorship, and other American companies do the same, you form a block of economy that China is not getting access to - but other people are. The larger that block gets, the more economic incentive China has. Ironically, this is exact same concept that governs the idea of why American companies are willing to put up with the censorship; they want access to the market.

    I suspect, though, that you're not pausing to think about the greater implications individual companies - large or small - can have on the world. You think I was talking about boycotting Google? Far from it. But the shareholders of Google very clearly put forth the idea of not doing business with - boycotting - China. This is not a meaningless strategy. It has worked, and can work no matter how many bold letters you use to say it won't. I'm simply talking from a historical perspective here.

    Beyond that, I find it offensive that you've put words into my mouth and said on what standard I judge an evil company. I specifically did not cite what I thought an evil company was because I don't think there are Good Companies and Evil Companies, like life was Star Wars. There are companies with a history of moral actions and ones with a history of amoral or immoral actions. Google has ticked off an amoral action here, putting it at risk of taking immoral ones. Should people hound Google because of this? Absolutely. And to suggest that only Google gets this treatment is absurd. Look at the boycotts of clothing manufacturers that used slave labor in southeast Asia; people absolutely spoke out against them, and absolutely succeeded in cleaning up the industry. People speak out against diamonds, against fur, against clear cutting, against polluters of all sorts, against civil rights violators of all sorts, and against just plain greedy people.

    You seem to espouse a basic belief that if you do not have sufficient power to change something than you have no power to effect change. This is erroneous. How power is pooled and applied has everything to do with changes occurring. Railing against sentiments building towards taking a progressive action is to be railing against progressive action. Whether that actually helps or not is debatable; sometimes arguments like yours, thin and built on straw men, do more for a movement than any amount of rational arguments for the issue at hand. But the world is not a binary place. It is vastly interconnected, and I think what you're failing to grok is that by speaking out against the parts of it that are twisted and wrong - be it's China's civil rights or the war in Iraq or the torture of foreign nationals - you help to suppress those bad parts. By arguing for silence on these matters, you're supporting it. I will make no bones about the fact that the quality of my life is built on the blood of innocents. I don't really have a choice in that - it is history. But I do have a choice about how to move forward, and you will not convince me that the simple choice of saying, "Google has made a wrong decision in this matter." is an erroneous one. The decision was not the decision I would want to see a company make - any company. It may be that my small voice - such a small boat in such a large ocean - will ultimately not matter, or it may turn the tide, but your declaration in this matter will not help no matter what.

    --

    [Ego]out

  69. Re:Screw the Chinese by tefflox · · Score: 1

    I'm 30, IQ 138 --- the revolution of the nineties? The greatest minds of Generation X selling out and committing suicide? Do you live on Pluto?

  70. Re:Screw the Chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a load of crap. Do you know how many people were killed in that incident, 10,000? 1,000? 100?

    Do you know that the vast majority of those student leaders are successful businessmen/businesswomen in CHINA TODAY? Don't believe me? Look it up.

    Of course your CNN/FOX will NEVER EVER mention that.

  71. Shameful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'nuff said.