Google and China

[Philidor]

Can anyone explain why Google's climbed out of bed with China?

Let me share a story first retweeted by many Twitter users in China recently. There are four guys eating excrement together, named after the four big Chinese portals: Netease, QQ, Baidu and Google.cn. After some time, Google.cn declared it too smelly and left. Netease frowned, QQ didn't respond, while Baidu took Google's seat and plate and ate for two.

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Everyone was so happy. Google was making cash hand over fist and doing the geriatric torturers' dirty work for them. Chinese dissidents were languishing in jail. Chinese state capitalism (a.k.a. "communism") was delivering double digit growth rates for China and lending cash to Western governments to help bail out our malevolent bankers.

What went wrong?

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has called on Washington to take a stand against China's censorship of the internet, urging the US to make the issue a "high priority".

"I certainly hope they make it a high priority," he said. "Human rights issues deserve equal time to the trade issues that are high priority now … I hope this gets taken seriously."

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Why do Google want human rights taken seriously now, when just a few months ago they happily tipped off the Chinese state so bloggers could be dragged off to torture cellars? Why the change of heart?

[haydnguy]

I have no idea. I haven't read that closely about it.

[Chi_town/Philly]

Possibility: maybe Google's transactions (cyber & otherwise) were subjected to a bit more 'potentially Governmentally sponsored' attentions- and Google took exception to the additional intrusions.

Kind'a like the lyrics of one of those Country & Western songs:
"Ah never went to bed with 'n ugly girl, but ah sure done woke up with some."

[Philidor]

Originally Posted by Chi_town/Philly

Possibility: maybe Google's transactions (cyber & otherwise) were subjected to a bit more 'potentially Governmentally sponsored' attentions- and Google took exception to the additional intrusions.

Kind'a like the lyrics of one of those Country & Western songs:
"Ah never went to bed with 'n ugly girl, but ah sure done woke up with some."

OK, fair enough. But I still don't understand why human rights (i.e. Chinese bloggers pulled from their houses as 4am by secret policemen tipped off by Google) didn't matter when the deal was struck, but now deserve to be "taken seriously." Odd.