Communist Google
As discussed in lecture, Google has made the big leap into communist China under strict orders from government officials to censor the types of webpages their search machine would access.
What got my attention was not that Google was forced to censor itself for the Chinese people but the criticism that they were receiving. When Communism and Democracy/Capitalism intersect, there are going to be obvious differences because these ideologies are opposites. So wouldn't it make sense that Google should censor what it can show to the Chinese people? Just because our methods of governing are different doesn't mean we can't interact, but it is important that we do not impose our culture on another when we are the foreigners. Besides, the mere fact that a western force has made it into China is something in itself.
At least that is what i thought, until i read up on it a bit. But it starts to get a little grey in areas regarding issues of human rights, especially regarding the Falun Gong followers that the government is trying to extinguish in a similar way the Nazis tried to extinguish the Jewish people. Now, because of Googles censorship, whenever a person inside search the words "Falun Gong," very little or nothing will be shown. Google folk have access to all this information and more, but because of a business deal, are willing to conceal it from the Chinese people.
It is disturbing to think that cyber-space has substituted for people's culture and ethics. It seems that people view the internet as its own seperate culture (which it is arguably to an extent) instead of an extension of it. Google is acting like a non-thinking, non-feeling technological monster devoutly following its capitalist creed. We need to remember that technology is a product of our culture, not the source of it.
Thoughts? Feelings?
What got my attention was not that Google was forced to censor itself for the Chinese people but the criticism that they were receiving. When Communism and Democracy/Capitalism intersect, there are going to be obvious differences because these ideologies are opposites. So wouldn't it make sense that Google should censor what it can show to the Chinese people? Just because our methods of governing are different doesn't mean we can't interact, but it is important that we do not impose our culture on another when we are the foreigners. Besides, the mere fact that a western force has made it into China is something in itself.
At least that is what i thought, until i read up on it a bit. But it starts to get a little grey in areas regarding issues of human rights, especially regarding the Falun Gong followers that the government is trying to extinguish in a similar way the Nazis tried to extinguish the Jewish people. Now, because of Googles censorship, whenever a person inside search the words "Falun Gong," very little or nothing will be shown. Google folk have access to all this information and more, but because of a business deal, are willing to conceal it from the Chinese people.
It is disturbing to think that cyber-space has substituted for people's culture and ethics. It seems that people view the internet as its own seperate culture (which it is arguably to an extent) instead of an extension of it. Google is acting like a non-thinking, non-feeling technological monster devoutly following its capitalist creed. We need to remember that technology is a product of our culture, not the source of it.
Thoughts? Feelings?
posted by Anonymous at 12:10 pm
1 Comments:
oh yeah just to tell you most of this comments section is repeated in a later post
What we find in Google.com.cn
Post a Comment
<< Home