January 26th, 2006
Google broadband video: censored in China, too
I’m just back from a video search on Google for "Tiananmen Square," site of the 1989 crackdown on dissidents by the People’s Republic of China.
For Google to offer a sanctioned version of its search service for that nation, they must not only block access to websites with controversial subjects that may offend the ruling sensibilities. It is the broadband video that must be blocked as well.
Here. Take a look at one Google video that is sure to be banned in the world’s most populous nation.
Although I understand Google’s position that a toe-hold into that economically progressive but politically repressive nation is probably going to plant some positive seeds long-run, I don’t like censorship, and governments pouring over databases and search indexes.
Which is why I back Google’s refusal to simply hand over a list of searches and porn sites that may be in their index.
I even blogged about it separately, here on the Huffington Post.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
