re MUST READ: Google may end China operations over data breach

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Mike Godwin <mnemonic () gmail com>
> Date: January 13, 2010 5:27:04 PM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Subject: Re: [IP] MUST READ: Google may end China operations over  
> data breach
> Reply-To: mnemonic () gmail com

> Brett Glass writes:
>
> What I find extremely interesting is that Google is protesting  
> censorship by the Chinese government but is willingly cooperating  
> with the Indian government to censor not only searches but also  
> online discussions ....
>
> This comment seems to miss an important dimension of Google's  
> announcement -- to wit, Google is *not protesting censorship* (which  
> Google, like all information services providing content in the PRC,  
> must allow), but a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack" (per  
> CNN) aimed at obtaining the e-mail accounts of Chinese human-rights  
> activists.
>
> That Google is protesting this attack by refusing to accommodate any  
> longer a censorship regime may be taken by some uncritical readers  
> as Google taking a stand against censorship, but in reality it seems  
> to be the case that Google is taking a stand against privacy  
> violations and compelled disclosure of (information relating to) e- 
> mail accounts. Evils, to be sure, but not the same as censorship.
>
> This inconsistency makes one wonder ....
>
> It seems to me to be an inconsistency only if one doesn't understand  
> the legal issues involved.  This action in the PRC seems to be only  
> incidentally about a censorship regime, whose demands on Google the  
> company has taken some pains to make transparent before now.
>
> The cynical view is that Google is making some kind of calculated  
> business decision that it's choosing to characterize as a protest  
> against censorship. My own view is that Google's making a reasonable  
> business decision *and also* doing a good thing -- in effect,  
> killing two birds with one stone.
>
>
> --Mike



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