… It made world headlines yesterday. Google announced that it would stop cooperating with Chinese Internet censorship rules. Absent an agreement with the Chinese government to not censor its information, Google said that it is considering shutting down its Chinese operations. The announcement was sparked when Google uncovered what it believes to be the Chinese government’s attempt to hack into its computer system to penetrate the e-mail accounts of Chinese human-rights activists. It’s possible that other business factors may have contributed to Google’s decision – such as its difficulty competing with the Chinese search engine, Baidu, which has strong ties to the government. Regardless, this is a huge shift for Google. It has a lot to lose by confronting and possibly leaving China. The company and the people making the decision there deserve respect for taking a stand on behalf of civil liberties and privacy. This story shows that whether in business, politics or our personal lives, these principals are more than just words in the news or in class – they represent something critically important and worth fighting for. The story is all over the internet all over the world – except in China.
Chinese people placed flowers at Google's China HQ
