“Google is expected to announce on Monday that it will withdraw from China on April 10, according to a report in a Beijing-based newspaper that cited an unidentified sales associate who works with the company,” Steven Musil reports for CNET.
MacDailyNews Take: Ooh, that just oozes credibility. Did the Wawa sandwich man confirm?
Musil continues, “‘I have received information saying that Google will leave China on April 10, but this information has not at present been confirmed by Google,’ the China Business News quoted the agent as saying. The report also said Google would reveal its plans for its China-based staff that day.”
Google “announced in January that it no longer intended to censor search results in that country and would consider leaving entirely,” Musil reports. “Google has identified China as the source of attacks on prominent U.S. Web properties and e-mail accounts belonging to human rights activists, though it has not revealed the specific people behind them. For its part, the Chinese government has denied any involvement.”
Musil reports, “After months of negotiations over whether it can run Google.cn with or without restrictions, it seemed that Google was getting ready to make a decision in the near-term future. However, according to a Financial Times report last week, Google is now ‘99.9 percent'” certain that it will shut down Google.cn.”
Full article here.
Don’t be evil, China. Quit censoring Google.
So does this mean they’ll also stop using anything manufactured in China including those phones they install their OS on?
Well, I’d say the Financial Times report “oozes credibility.”
… And a frustrated China was unavailable for comment
“Don’t be evil, China. Quit censoring Google”
This has nothing to do with censorship. LOL.
Google’s pulling out cuz Baidu’s guy hacked into their servers… the censorship angle is pure PR on Google’s part
F*ck China! Save Google!
As I have stated repeatedly. If you want to make the laws for a country, build your own country. China has the same right as any other nation, to manage their nation the way the choose. Their growth or repression is theirs to choose. AAA baby.
Acknowledge
Accept
Adapt
Well, there’s this thing called Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All things are relative, of course, and many of the articles in that documents are regularly violated in most Western “democracies” (especially in the biggest of them, the US), but on that relative scale, China is quite high up there. While in most of the world, population has at least some measure of influence over who represents them in a governance body, in China, that influence is non-existent. If you don’t like how your government leads your country, in most of the world you can loudly protest (or complain directly to your elected representative), and ultimately, vote for someone else when elections come. In countries like China, this option doesn’t exist. If you make an attempt at complaining (or if you accidentally say something that may somehow be interpreted as complaining) against a government official or entity, you end up criminally prosecuted. So, technically, China does not have quite the right to manage their nation the way they choose; no country has. Limitations of that right are spelled out quite clearly in that UDHR (mentioned above).
As for Google, as had been said here by mike, it’s just convenient PR, while the real reason is mostly spite and hurt pride.
The evil Google has met its match, the big brother China, Inc., and the big brother wins. Well, how does it feel to be at the receiving end of the shaft, Google? Let it be a lesson to the backstabber Schmidt – you can’t go around cheating, stealing, and backstabbing friends and partners and expect to get away with it.
My advice to Jobs – be patient, lay low, let the Chinese finish their handy work on Google, and then move in to return the knife. Go for the kill and aim for the throat.
Check articles 19, 20 and 21 of that Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In fact, read the whole thing; it isn’t all that long, and is quite illuminating, considering that it was adopted by the UN General Assembly (where all countries of the world get a vote).
‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’. What if a country does not accept this document, and says “Screw the lot of you”?
@ Predrag,
I disagree, China absolutely has the right. When you have the power of/over the people (any country) you have absolute rule of right. Sad? Sure. Incorrect? No. Our own Declaration of Independence declares within itself that (paraphrasing) “If we find our government to be in violation of working for our best interests, it is our duty to overthrow such government and institute a new one.”
Now, would that be easy for any group in most countries at this point in history? No, but that is what people with wil have always done. History is littered with hero’s who sacraficed their lives for the betterment of their people. When you have the power, you also have the burden of making decisions that you deem best for what you consider to be your people.
Far be it from me to say that you yourself couldn’t govern 1.5 billion people better than what the Chinese government is currently doing. Maybe you have what it takes to free the Chinese people from their chains. Then again, I am sure you have found yourself to be quite busy fixing the problems in your neighborhood, community, state and country to be bothered by the difficulties another nation faces on a daily basis.
MDN word ‘radio’, as in “Don’t call me radio, 93”
I bet the Chinese government can’t wait.
Ron,
UDHR is technically NOT legally binding, so Security Council cannot impose measures to punish violators. However, it was adopted by the entire General Assembly, which means all member states (192 of them) are required to respect it, including China.
So, any country can say “Screw the lot of you” (US has been saying it very often over the past 10 years or so), and nobody can effectively punish them. However, the UDHR has been a seminal document in drafting of many national constitutions around the world over the last 60 years.
Still, the document REQUIRES member states to respect it. Those that don’t respect it are considered violators.
I think some people are confused. “Right” and “Power” are not the same thing. Chinas elite rulers may have the power to dominate their people, but they do not have the Right to do so.
That Right is conferred on the rulers by the people. Dictatorships, oligarchies, and others do not give that right to the people.
Predrag, would you document the assertion:
“many of the articles in that documents are regularly violated in most Western “democracies” (especially in the biggest of them, the US)”
I don’t find that credible.
China is still a Communist, unfree state. Their boom has been driven by virtual slave labor, environmental degradation, and artificial monetary manipulation. Because the Chinese government has control over the people they believe they have the right to dictate everything. In the West we believe totalitarianism is inherently evil, that human beings have certain inalienable rights, etc. If we abandon our beliefs just to do some business, we’re doomed. I don’t care for most of what google is doing now, but refusing to aid the Chinese government in the subjugation of their people is the right thing to do.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Google is about to release its own open source OS in netbooks. Apple’s iPad competes with the netbooks. This has nothing to do with China, except it’s Google’s only way of competing with Apple, by taking Google products away from 1/4 of iPad’s potential customers.
It’s all about money (the source of power) – same with Google, with the Chinese government, the U.S. government, and on and on. Does this mean Android phones won’t be available in China either? I bet Google doesn’t make that much money relatively speaking in China.
I’m with google on this. Good for them.
Why is it assumed we all want to live like America?
No longer free and now valueless…
why American companies and people love to force their ideas on other people?
Look at the wars…. the Americans love to use freedom excuses and force it on others and justify their war.
How china runs it’s country, yes we all have our opinions and voices, but if you want to live there or operate businesses there, follow the bloody house rules.
“Look at the wars…. the Americans love to use freedom excuses and force it on others and justify their war.”
What, you don’t buy it?
…Predrag, would you document the assertion:
“many of the articles in that documents are regularly violated in most Western “democracies” (especially in the biggest of them, the US)”
I don’t find that credible.”
Well, here are a few articles from the declaration, and you can make your own judgement:
Article 11
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. (note how there is no mention of the category “Enemy combatant”)
Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. (Note there’s no mention of “Patriot Act”)
Article 16
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (note there’s no specific limitation related to sexual orientation)
Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
The declaration is a cornerstone of our modern world, but unfortunately, while many developed nations follow it to the letter in their laws (mosts of the time), they don’t necessarily follow the spirit.
Just watched, “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama”
I sure hope this Google news is true.