OT: Hands Off Google!

[Vaughn Treude]

On Wed, 2006-02-08 at 08:32, Craig White wrote:
> On Wed, 2006-02-08 at 08:06 -0700, Alan Dayley wrote:
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> > Randy Melder wrote:
> > > editor beating death on google.cn
> > > <http://www.google.cn/search?hl=zh-CN&q=editor+beating+death&btnG=Google+%E6%90%9C%E7%B4%A2&meta=>
> > > editor beating death on google.com
> > > <http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=editor+beating+death&btnG=Search+News>
> > > 
> > > do no evil... well maybe just a little evil. no one will notice.
> > 
> > OK, I'll chime in with an analogy, imperfect though it may be...
> > 
> > Lets suppose you run a "mission" or halfway-house for drug addicts.
> > Your goal is to help them leave the streets, get clean and return to
> > productive life.  In such a position, you get first hand knowledge of
> > crimes every day.  Illegal drugs, drug deals, confessions of robberies
> > etc. are common occurrences in your work.  If you always report this
> > kind of knowledge to the police, how effective will you be in your work
> > with the addicted?  If you don't report it, doesn't that make you an
> > "accessory" to the crimes committed?
> > 
> > Comparing the work of rehabilitation and help for the drug addicted to
> > the services Google provides a huge stretch, I agree.  Google's first
> > job is also to make a profit so that is another way the above story does
> > not quite fit.  But, here is my point for telling it.
> > 
> > If Google does not filter search results, they would be blocked
> > completely from the Chinese network.  Which is the lesser evil:
> > Providing no information to the Chinese people or providing filtered
> > information with a clear indication that the results are filtered?
> > Which of the two allows you to have some influence and some
> > participation in the improvement in the life of the Chinese people?
> > Would being completely blocked from China to take a stand benefit the
> > people more than providing at least some information?
> > 
> > It appears to me that Google thought some participation the the
> > spreading of information was more beneficial (ie less evil) than no
> > participation at all.  (And they thought it would earn them money, I'm
> > sure.)
> > 
> > These are the thoughts that go through my mind when thinking/discussing
> > weather or not Google is "doing evil" with respect to their current
> > filtering via google.cn.
> > 
> ---
> of course you can't ignore the fact that Vaughn already sees Google as
> evil so by extension, whatever they do in China would be evil.
> 

Contrariwise.  Google is evil only to they extent that they perform
censorship services for the Chinese government.  I still think Google is
about 90% non-evil.  :-)

Vaughn

> Likewise, Randy apparently sees China as evil.
> 
> Interestingly enough, there are reporters beat up in this country
> too...and a lot more murders.
> 
> Craig
> 
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