If you go to the Google homepage, click on About Google and then Corporate Information you come to a page that puts forth “Our Philosophy.” The page is devoted to a lot of things that would hardly impress Plato, Spinoza, Wittgenstein or anyone who has slept through an “Intro to Western Thought” class, however it does include a list of “Ten things Google has found to be true.” Allow me to draw your attention to numbers 4, 6 and 8:
- Democracy on the web works.
- You can make money without doing evil.
- The need for information crosses all borders.
Which, when actually applied to the real world, should be read as:
- Democracy on the web works, but that’s about as far as we want to take it.
- You can make money without doing evil, but why bother?
- The need for information crosses all borders, however we’re going to do our best to make sure the information itself stays the hell out of China.
How else to interpret the news that Google has agreed to censor search results in China? I’m sure it is just a coincidence that Google’s decision to play patty cake with the police state comes a mere five months after a survey revealed Google was losing market share to Beijing-based rival Baidu.com. (And, not to toot my own horn … but if you are trusting ANY numbers coming out of China than you clearly have not read China Market Research Is a Game of Fuzzy Math.) Quoth the BBC: “Critics warn the new [China-only version of Google] could restrict access to thousands of sensitive terms and web sites. Such topics are likely to include independence for Taiwan and the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.”
This move places Google in a fascinating, if revolting, position. Here in the US they boldly sue the Department of Justice for seeking access to data on what people are searching for, thereby making themselves look like the grand defender of liberty and all that is good. However the legal challenge to the DOJ is clearly just smoke and mirrors because when the bottom line is threatened the company folded faster than me at a poker table. Apparently, despite having a stock that sells $400-a-share Google still can’t afford to buy a conscience.
Disclaimer — all opinions expressed here are those of the writer and are not cleared with anyone else at IDG before going into print. They should not be construed as being endorsed (or opposed) by the company.
ELSEWHERE:
- Currently two of the most commented stories on CIO are Sam Aruti’s piece on what CIOs should do in their first 100 days and Martha Heller’s article on how even CIO’s need to focus on networking of the human kind. The optimist would say that doing the former would get you to the latter. The pessimist, however, would say make sure you’re doing the networking in case there isn’t a day 101.
- Someone has discovered just the thing to replace BlackBerries – Black Currents, whoops that’s spelled currants. My bad.
- And at long last someone has invented a machine that can indeed tell the difference between whether you are carrying a weapon or are, in fact, just very glad to see me.
Have any thoughts about this? Want to call me an idiot (there’s a lot of people ahead of you in that particular line)? Post a comment or drop me an email at cvonhoffman@cxo.com. Anyone wishing to subject themselves to more of my alleged humor should check out my other blog, Collateral Damage, that makes fun of — get this — marketing.
