FEDS WANT GOOGLE'S RECORDS

[tracysaboe]

You got a problem with businesses that serve lots of customers and make milions of dollars volentarily by doing it?

Tracy

[Pat McCotter]

I commend Google's actions and plan to propose legislation that clarifies their rights as a search engine when elected to Congress. The Bush Administration is violently anti-liberty, especially after the warrantless wiretaps.

Why not put your website in your sig so we may see where you stand on the issues?

See http://forum.soulawakenings.com/index.php?topic=1546.msg21710#msg21710

[ravelkinbow]

Thanks for the link Pat and your letter was awesome!
Jenn

[Pat McCotter]

You're welcome and thank you.

[Lex]

Looks like Bill Henderson couldn't handle the grilling. 

[Lex]

Did I miss the barbecue?  Dang...

Didn't miss much, politicians don't make for very good barbecue.

[KBCraig]

Well, there for a minute or two I thought Google had principles. But, apparently it's only the U.S. government they're standing up to. They'll cave in a second for communism. 

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/25/D8FBONMG7.html

Google Agrees to Censor Results in China
Jan 25 9:31 AM US/Eastern

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press Writer

SHANGHAI, China

Google Inc. launched a search engine in China on Wednesday that censors material about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing _ defending the move as a trade-off granting Chinese greater access to other information.

. . .

[Lex]

Well, there for a minute or two I thought Google had principles. But, apparently it's only the U.S. government they're standing up to. They'll cave in a second for communism. 

Basically they have two options: 1. be blocked by Chinese ISPs and lose a HUMONGOUS market providing no service or 2. they can agree to a certain amount of restrictions and provide a restricted service to more people

[Russell Kanning]

They are missing the opportunity to be the good guys in China. The people will go around the government and google to get info.

[Lex]

They are missing the opportunity to be the good guys in China. The people will go around the government and google to get info.

Those who can go around the government can still do that and get the full google services.

[KBCraig]

Well, there for a minute or two I thought Google had principles. But, apparently it's only the U.S. government they're standing up to. They'll cave in a second for communism. 

Basically they have two options: 1. be blocked by Chinese ISPs and lose a HUMONGOUS market providing no service or 2. they can agree to a certain amount of restrictions and provide a restricted service to more people

Door 1, please.

Expediency and pragmatism over principles doesn't speak well of their decision-makers.

[Lex]

Expediency and pragmatism over principles doesn't speak well of their decision-makers.

What are their principles?

I think that the first principle of any business is to gain customers and that's what google did.

[Lloyd Danforth]

They made the best deal they could make.  Its not as if China is any less free because of it.

[KBCraig]

Here are some interesting comparisons on Google, versus Google China.

First, images:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tiananmen
http://images.google.cn/images?q=tiananmen


Next, text:

http://www.google.com/search?q=tiananmen
http://www.google.cn/search?q=tiananmen

It's worth noting that not everything escapes the censors. Even the Chinese version returns this page:
http://cryptome.cn/tk/tiananmen-kill.htm


Google execs, whose motto is "Do no evil", said they used an "evil scale" to decide that complying with Chinese censorship was "less evil" than denying access.

Kevin

[Lex]

Here are some interesting comparisons on Google, versus Google China.

http://images.google.com/images?q=tiananmen
http://images.google.cn/images?q=tiananmen

If you get to page 5 on the Chinese version they start showing tanks.