Tuesday, February 21, 2006

They Ain't Evil, They're My Search Engine

Why, Google, why?

I had this post all thought out. I was all set to defend you against the heat you're taking from hyperidealists and hacky web comics for agreeing to comply with Chinese government censorship requirements. Google is a private-sector corporation, not an entity of the U.S. or any other government. China has a legitimate, recognized government that maintains diplomatic relations with this country, and U.S.-based businesses are allowed to do business in China.

Imagine what would happen if a foreign company, even one from a friendly nation, set up shop here and decided that one of our federal laws was blatantly wrong. (I know, it's impossible to comprehend.) But let's say they went one step further and decided to outright ignore the law that so offended them. It simply wouldn't fly. They'd be run out of town on a rail by either the public, the media, the government, or some combination thereof before they ever had a chance to get off the ground. Of course most foreign companies comply with our laws, at least overtly, no matter how they feel about them--they're in business to make money, first and foremost. They can't do that in markets that they can't enter. Why should Americans expect our companies to act any differently when they're dealing with another legitimate government? That sort of double standard is a shining example of that American arrogance that gets us the reputation we "enjoy" in other parts of the world. Google complied with the laws of the land, and as a result, they get to keep operating there (at least for now).

But they sure do have a strange way of picking their battles. They obey an unjust censorship law without a word of protest, yet they ignore a federal subpoena from the U.S. Attorney General that's designed to help law enforcement track down pedophiles. Which of these should Google really be fighting in court to best comply with their unofficial corporate motto of Don't Be Evil?

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