But in a global environment those two facets sometimes come into conflict with one another. Such is the case with China. The Chinese government is infamous when it comes to monitoring and controlling the information Chinese citizens may access. In fact, the country's filtering system is so complex and imposing that journalists commonly refer to it as the Great Firewall of China.
Companies that wish to operate within China must find a way to work within the restrictions the government places upon them. In the case of Web search companies, this includes filtering search results pages to censor any material the Chinese government considers harmful. That includes everything from pornography to politically-charged sites criticizing the government and its policies. If you don't play ball, you don't get to run a business in China.
And China is big business. According to a report from Reuters, China has over 350 million Web users and generates more than a billion dollars in Internet search revenue. The Chinese market continues to grow at an explosive rate. It's a market that has tempted many companies to enter into controversial agreements with the country in order to get a slice of the revenue pie.
Google may be backing away from the Chinese market. The company experienced a sophisticated hacker attack. According to the official Google blog, the hackers stole intellectual property from Google relating to the accounts of Chinese human rights activists. These attacks pushed Google to reevaluate its position in China. The company has maintained that the relationship was always a cautious one -- the company's goal of providing unbiased access to information obviously conflicts with the Chinese government's desire to control the data citizens can see. This most recent incident prompted Google to deliver an ultimatum to China.
Google will no longer censor search results on its Chinese service. The company plans to work with the Chinese government to try and come to an agreement over delivering uncensored search results legally. But if they can't find a common ground Google will walk away and abandon its presence in China.
Some may feel this is an empty gesture. Google isn't in a position to put real pressure on the Chinese government. Unlike its dominant presence in the United States, Google isn't the top search engine in China. In the short term, Google revenue might not take a big hit. On the other hand, Google's move might pressure other U.S. companies to reevaluate their own policies when it comes to China. Or the opposite could happen -- companies like Microsoft and Yahoo could capitalize on Google's absence in the Chinese market and further establish themselves in Google's place.
The cynic in me says that Google is making the most out of the situation by turning it into a big PR boost. The company can take the moral high ground while backing away from a market that isn't vital to its success. Still, I can't help feeling that Google executives are being genuine and sincere when they say that the company can't support a policy that is so antithetical to its own philosophy. Whether Google's gesture is meaningful or empty is moot in my mind -- I applaud any organization that can turn away from potential profit because doing otherwise would compromise its values and policies.
Learn more at HowStuffWorks.com:
How Google Works
How Internet Censorship Works
How Hackers Work
Tags: Computer and Internet Security, Cybercrime, Government, Internet
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