Google did something that, given that they are a public company and need to make money, that is pretty astounding, they are risking pissing off China and losing revenue to stand up for their principles.
I think this quote from Google’s official post maybe become one of the greatest quotes of the year and maybe the decade:
These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
China is an economic juggernaut. They hold a tremendous amount of the U.S. government’s debt. They make nearly everything we use day to day (or at least significant parts of those things). By standing up to China Google risks not only losing revenue or even a stake in future development there, but the very real possibility of cyber-attacks against them.
I won’t for a minute say that Google didn’t do the right thing. They certainly did and if the flurry of tweets are any indication, they have also earned the respect of a large majority of bloggers as well. Google put a stake in the ground. They are refusing to back down any more.
Great. Now, who’s next?
Which company will be the next one to say to China that they either need to step up and take human rights seriously or they are pulling out?
I can only hope lots. Lots.
Could the risk be worth the reward? Is there a reward? Is the risk only economic?
Sorry China, we’re just tired of you not letting people get access to information or let information out.
Time for a change.
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