Google launched its google.cn search engine in China in 2005, seven years after originally launching google.com in the U.S. Before the launch Google executives, Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt had been struggling with the ethical dilemma behind whether or not to comply with Chinese government and censor search results. Initially they based their decision on a scale of evil in which they decided it was better to offer censored search results then non at all [1]. Andrew McLaughlin, senior policy counsel for Google, explained that Google users in China were faced “with a service that, to be blunt, isn’t very good” [2]. They were faced with a choice between “denying Chinese citizens some political searches and denying them all searches” [3]. As stated in Ken Auletta’s book, Googled, Google believed that “the Internet would, over time, help democratize China". The men behind Google moved forward and launched Google.cn, but were faced with immediate criticism. Chinese blogger Isaac Mao posted a public letter to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin stating that Google had gone against its “Don’t be evil” motto by complying with Chinese law and that it “hurts those loyal users” and encouraged a “change back to the right track” by Google. Not only was Google faced with an ethical decision to stay in line with their own motto and beliefs, but also to support Chinese users. In 2010 Google decided to stop censoring their search results and started to redirect Chinese users to Google.hk [4]. In a blog post Google stated that, they took this action to finally "make good on our promise to stop censoring search on Google.cn”[5]. An article by Clifford Coonan for the Independent stated that, “the decision was also an uncomfortable reminder that many Western companies have chosen to compromise their principles on free speech and censorship to cash in on the burgeoning China market”. Once again Google is being criticized as people claim that they are covering up a financial decision by claimed to be ethical. Business Week Article provides insight into Google’s competition in China. In the U.S. Google occupies 60% of the search market whereas in China it holds a mere 35.6% against search engine giant Baidu. In this article Google claims that their decision to pull out of China has nothing to do with financial considerations and claim it was due to severe hacking from Chinese sources and for the ethics behind censoring their data. Although fiscal competition may have played some part in the decision to stop google.cn, the overall decision was made based on public critism and to support their motto “Don’t be evil”.
Had I been advising the executive team at Google I would have supported the decision to leave google.cn and start redirecting users to an uncensored google.hk. Despite disapproval by newpapers in China who claim, “one company's ambition to change China's internet rules and legal system will only prove to be ridiculous", I believe that the actions of one (Google), influence others to behave similarly. In addition, Google is more than the average company, their actions speak to everyone and have power both in the political sphere and to the public.
Chinese citizens laying flowers down before the Google Beijing office
[1] Shah, Prahar, and Deborah Compeau. "Google in China." Ivey Publishing. N.p., 1 May 2007. Web. 9 Feb. 201
[2] Shah, Prahar, and Deborah Compeau. "Google in China." Ivey Publishing. N.p., 1 May 2007. Web. 9 Feb. 201
[3] Auletta, Ken. Googled : the end of the world as we know it / Ken Auletta Penguin Press, New York : 2009
[4] Quelch, John A. "Google in China (C)." Harvard Business School Cases (2010): 1. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 9 Feb. 2011.
[5]Coonan, Clifford. "Google set to pull out of China over censorship." The Independent. N.p., 22 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2011.
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