Google entered a storm of controversy over free speech recently, when it decided to censor the Chinese version of its search engine. While Google explained in its official blog that the move was an attempt to 'contribute to openness and prosperity,' critics have blasted the release as contrary to one of Google's stated mantras: 'Don't Be Evil.'
The discussion has reached the national level, as Google, along with other search giants Yahoo and MSN, testified before Congress about their actions in China.
Although web users in China were previously able to access a Chinese language version of Google's uncensored engine, the site was often blocked or slowed by barriers set up by the Chinese government in the interests of preventing the spread of political dissent. According to Google, the new site is quicker and more reliable.
The controversy centers on the differences between Google China's index, and the index available to the rest of the world. Under the terms of Google's newly obtained license, the company must omit content from its search results that the government finds objectionable. For example, while an image search for 'Tiananmen' on Google's normal search page returns pictures from the protest in 1989, the same search on Google China's site returns tourism pictures.
Censorship of the Internet is not new. According to Edward Friedman, UW-Madison professor of political science, Singapore was 'the first country which developed censorship on the web in a rigorous way.' However, according to Friedman, 'China has taken it to a whole other level.'
It is not clear, however, how effective the censorship in China is. While there have been reports of more than 30,000 government employees working to censor China, it is still relatively easy for technologically savvy users to obtain unrestricted access to the Internet'??so easy, in fact, that some Internet personalities liken Google's censorship to the banning of books in libraries and schools, in that it is easy to obtain the books elsewhere.
According to Louise Robbins, director of the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies, there is a significant difference.
'In the United States, most censorship is geared to 'protect' children,' Robbins said. 'Libraries face challenges from non-governmental groups most frequently.' In China, on the other hand, the censorship is dictated by the government and spreads beyond pornography and violence.
Whatever the results of the discussion, it seems clear that Google will continue to operate under China's restrictions for some time. 'China is the world's fastest growing market,' Friedman said. '[Google] doesn't want to be left out.'
