ReachCustomersOnline.com

Connect with low-cost tools and know-how
May 8, 2006 :: Volume 2, Issue 4
Next Issue: May 2007

American Censors in China

Posted by TimSlavin at June 17, 2005

"Should American companies help China filter the Internet? That's a question that came up twice in my life over the past week. In one case, I think a small Utah company is doing the right thing, while in the other I think Microsoft, Yahoo, Google and Cisco are putting profits over human rights.

Both of these groups provide software and/or services that impact what Chinese citizens can do on the Internet. What's the difference? And could Microsoft, et al., really not be so bad after all?"

When I read recently that Microsoft had customized its software to block internet content with the word "freedom" in it for the government of China, I was apalled. Maybe its because the software business is new and, by implication, free of the compromises found in other industries. Turns out technology companies can aid repressive governments just as easily, and for profit, as we expect from oil companies. This article, American Censors in China, provides a nice balance to this story.

The article makes one questionable point: economic change in China will lead to political reforms that justify helping their government today. Twenty plus years of economic change in China has yielded little political freedom. There is no reason to believe the next 15 years will be any different. What software companies like Microsoft do (and don't do) matters. It's like selling matches when they're burning someone at the stake. You can do it. You probably can justify your matches aren't the ones used at the stake. But it's probably not the brightest idea. If it was your family burned at the stake, you would have negative brand awareness about companies selling matches at the event.

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.reachcustomersonline.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1462

Comments

Post a comment




Remember Me?