The Blog Post that Could Change the World
The single largest business event of this young year was announced yesterday by Internet mega-company Google in that they are demanding an end to censorship of the web in China or they will pull the plug on google.cn.
Google's own blog at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html is claiming that Google search engines as well as 20 other well known companies were the target of a sophisticated cyber attack originating from China in mid December 2009. Google says that the difference between this attack and the regularly occuring types of cyber attacks that companies like Google face all the time was that it targeted the names and private information of Human Rights protesters.
"...we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.
Third, as part of this investigation but independent of the attack on Google, we have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties. These accounts have not been accessed through any security breach at Google, but most likely via phishing scams or malware placed on the users' computers." -Official Google Blog
My already high impression of Google as a company has gone up substantially, who would have thought that Free Enterprise and a Corporate giant like Google could be the impetus for change in China and actually put it's money where it's mouth is? I have read that China accounts for 12% of Google's revenues. When you are talking about billions of dollars a year in income 12% is in the multiple 100's of millions of dollars!
"These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered--combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web--have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
The decision to review our business operations in China has been incredibly hard, and we know that it will have potentially far-reaching consequences. We want to make clear that this move was driven by our executives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvement of our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to make Google.cn the success it is today. We are committed to working responsibly to resolve the very difficult issues raised." -Official Google Blog
We take for granted here in the West our ability to write pretty much whatever we want on forums such as this. This very Blog article is probably banned in China as is the piece that is quoted. Good Luck Google and thank you for doing a very costly 'Right Thing'.
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Wow! Talk about taking a stand. I'm even more impressed with them now.
Great to see that Google is taking a stand, despite the fact that it will hurt their standing in a potentially huge market. Someone's got to do it.
Featured @ Club Chaos
And I thought China was becoming the most powerful nation in the world. Turns out its Google.
China won't be forced to do anything they don't see as in their best interest. It's against their values and culture. Lets hope Google can use some good sense to win their case.
Kim: In a day with the news from Haiti this lifted my spirits.
Christine: As my company (KW) says, "It's not about the money, it's about what the money can do"
C Tann: Thanks doll!
Greg: All the lip service paid by World Leaders pales in significance to this action.
I have heard there are restrictions on google but dont be fooled, a business is profit first and with the poor population of China and the lower value of goods and services I would think their profits would be lower. Im just sayin
Larry: Somewhere between 300 & 600 million dollars see:
http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2010/01/13/google-in-china-for-most-companies-profit-trumps-human-rights/
Thanks for the tips Scott on hte Geo words...I will figure that out soon!
Oh and thank you for the intro to the AR world!
Ralna: I just meant work in the names of cities you service or your content will not propagate to people in those areas or let referrers know where you are.
My pleasure for the intro :)
Hopefully google will take a stand that amounts to more than words. I would like to see them whoop the communist leadership.
Sounds great so far, but I will wait until I see the results. These last few years haven't been good for believing people and companies.
A new update, Yahoo has joined in solidarity with Google, this is even a bigger deal for Yahoo then Google as a percentage of revenue as Yahoo owns 39% of Alibaba and it remains one of Yahoo's most valuable assets.
The time for change is long overdue! I hope the people of China can come to appreciate the freedoms that we take for granted every day! Dottie Carter Long and Foster/Gainesville,VA
This is a very interesting blog and one I hadn't considered. Google continues to impress me with their innovation.
God Bless Google...I'm so impressed! I love that they're taking a stand! Time to buy Google stock!
Capitalism with a conscience. Very impressive.
Bravo to Google. Thanks for finding and sharing this story Scott.
I hope it true...Google and Yahoo being a united voice. Hopefully the chinese have not stolen the technology they need to repicate the Google/Yahoo services. If they have they will no doubt be reselling it us via Japan, Indonesia or Russia.
China IS an evil empire. They use their government sponsored cyber hacking as a intimidation element before negotiation on anything. Last summer the chinese govt cyber hackers shut down system at three military bases, a power grid and Norad. Just to show they can. Every summer they bring down the internet in Tiwan to dmeonstrate they can anilalte this island nation at the instant of their choosing. Of course you haven't heard about it much, if you knew how vulnerable our defenses and financial istitutions are...you would panic. Now we don't want that!
With impunity the chinese sell poisoned products to our children. Toxic drywall to our industry. Contaminated foods to or grocers. To choose to do business with china is to sell your soul to the devil..(for the perception of profit) to be compelled later to violate the essences of human rights.
Interesting....but that's a pretty huge market to walk away from. I wonder how this is going to all play out. Seems like the line in the sand. China cannot allow complete free speech and now Google has taken a stand. Something to watch.
Bravo to Google for tough words. Now we'll wait and see if it amounts to anything. The Chinese are noted throughout history (not just the Communists) for non-confrontation in such situations. Like most governments they will speak soothing words and blame blatant infringements of legal norms on some elements within society over whom they have no control. The Chinese are better at this than most. It will be very difficult for Google to zero in on these mysterious moving targets, and will therefore likely have to accept Chinese assurances to try harder. I don't think this issue is going to go away any time soon.
This will be an interesting story to follow. If we all took a stand, and put our money where our values are, we could change the world.
Scott,
Great post, My husband and I were just talking about Google and China. We love people who stand up for their values, and actually follow through. Human rights are important, Great slogan for your business! All the best in 2010!
I woke up to a feature, thank you all for the comments. I cant say I disagree with anything any of you have said, I might not be as vehemant as some though.
The line that is being walked is one where you stay and hope to be part of a gradual change or just say no to being used as a dupe. Yahoo took a lot of heat for apparently giving Chinese officials information that was used to convict Human Rights advocates in the past. One US Senator called the execs at Yahoo "Little trolls" at the time.
Bravo to Google... It is refreshing to see a compnay act the way they do...
Good to hear that Google is such an upstanding company! Money is great, but the human aspect MUST be considered!
I have been following this and good for Google. Most of these techie people are slightly to the left (that maybe my prejudice) but also have a strong streak of libertarianism. China cannot keep information out for ever, the genie is out of the bottle.
Google has a responsible gene in that complex machine! Way to go Google!
I really believe we can trust Google. My concern is if they ever sell. Thanks, Google, for being so responsible.
Good for Google! Hope their program works.
I am impressed with the challenging stand that Google has taken. This is a great post.
Rhode Island, Kathy - absolutely
Gene - Does it really matter, left, right, middle we should all encourage the values that allow us to be what we want to be.
Doug - Well put
Karen - I wouldnt worry too much, the corporate culture of Google that allows it to be so creative uses people that think and create differently. Watched a great show on Google on MSNBC, very profound and insightful. Further who could buy them?
Bob - amen
Sharon - So should we all be
Sure, we can say whatever we want but the government doesn't listen here either.
Good for Google. I hope other companies would start having some backbone.
I'm impressed with the stand Google is taking. Now, I wonder if it will influence Microsoft and our governmental leaders to take similar stands.
Google certainly is a smart company. I would delay putting them on an even higher pedestal until something is worked out. I would not be surprised to see a "compromise" of some sort and they stay in China.
Wayne: Well it seems now that more of the story has come out which has only made me even more impressed with Google. It turns out that the espionage that took place involved Chinese spies working within Google. I dont think they are going to back down here.
Lets face it Google could put a satellite in space over China and beam free internet to the entire country and still find a way to make money from it.
Contrast this action by Google with the Yahoo handing over information of dissidents who are still sitting in jail.
Jerry Wang threw users of Yahoo to the wolves.
That was sad.
This action by Google, if they follow through will be uplifting.
"While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, said to Jerry Yang CEO of Yahoo! during testimony to that committee.
I watched those hearings. Jerry Yang was an embarrassment to all Americans.
I've been following this off and on and all I can say is 'go google'.