Comments on: Google && China http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/ belarusian perspectives - the two sides of one blogger Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:14:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 Comment on Google && China by: }T{Reme [Q_G] http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-341 Tue, 31 Jan 2006 18:25:17 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-341 Indeed as Chromatius said and Administrator has shown in the past with examples is that Google has been altering / filtering search result based on geological location all this time. I doubt that Google is the only one doing so. This sort of practice has practical uses as in one country a word can mean something different than another however it does impose moral issues. The kind of filtering or rather substitution done for google.cn does fall into the category of censorship. However, one shouldn't forget that Google is a company, not an idealistic association. As said in their press interview, they are merely expanding their business into the booming Chinese economy. And... a company has to respect law and regulations. It is the same all over the world. I wouldn't slam Google for respecting law, rather I would slam the Chinese government whom created these laws in the first place. Ambiont is right, China is trying to become the world's most powerful country by using strict regulation. Freedom and rights dont fit into this idealism. I should add... most Chinese people arent even aware of the negative elements... so I learned from talking to a Chinese friend. According to her, the main focus in China which is drilled into people is performance performance performance. Both physically and mentally (which was VERY clear to notice I might add). Indeed as Chromatius said and Administrator has shown in the past with examples is that Google has been altering / filtering search result based on geological location all this time. I doubt that Google is the only one doing so. This sort of practice has practical uses as in one country a word can mean something different than another however it does impose moral issues. The kind of filtering or rather substitution done for google.cn does fall into the category of censorship. However, one shouldn’t forget that Google is a company, not an idealistic association. As said in their press interview, they are merely expanding their business into the booming Chinese economy. And… a company has to respect law and regulations. It is the same all over the world. I wouldn’t slam Google for respecting law, rather I would slam the Chinese government whom created these laws in the first place. Ambiont is right, China is trying to become the world’s most powerful country by using strict regulation. Freedom and rights dont fit into this idealism. I should add… most Chinese people arent even aware of the negative elements… so I learned from talking to a Chinese friend. According to her, the main focus in China which is drilled into people is performance performance performance. Both physically and mentally (which was VERY clear to notice I might add).

]]> Comment on Google && China by: endrus http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-336 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 18:04:59 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-336 God knows. But won't you agree that democracy goes side by side with market economy? I think the latter will trigger the former. The only question is when. I have quite a few friends from China who are doing their PhDs or MAs here in North Carolina. They'd rather support the viewpoint I expressed. You know, many Chinese universities had had pictures on Mao on their hallways. Now they took them away. That communist ideology is gradually becoming outdates. And any product that expires gets tossed, doesn't it? God knows. But won’t you agree that democracy goes side by side with market economy? I think the latter will trigger the former. The only question is when. I have quite a few friends from China who are doing their PhDs or MAs here in North Carolina. They’d rather support the viewpoint I expressed.
You know, many Chinese universities had had pictures on Mao on their hallways. Now they took them away. That communist ideology is gradually becoming outdates. And any product that expires gets tossed, doesn’t it?

]]> Comment on Google && China by: Administrator http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-335 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 15:20:56 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-335 Yea... from what I've read about China's political and economic situation, I'd rather agree with <b>Ambiont</b>'s point of view. Yea… from what I’ve read about China’s political and economic situation, I’d rather agree with Ambiont’s point of view.

]]> Comment on Google && China by: ambiont http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-334 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 15:09:20 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-334 endrus said: <blockquote>One of my instructors assumed that at any point China could change. Maybe during the Olympics or somewhat later, but transition from this quasi-communism to a more open society seems pretty unavoidable. </blockquote> One of my chinese students said China will certainly 'sort out the Taiwan problem' — but after the Olympics :) Until then China has to pretend it's mild and democracy-oriented. I think 'democratization' isn't on agenda at all. China's main interest is gaining more power - economic or whatever. Open economy - OK. But not open society. Freedom for information-flows, 'free-thinkers' - it's a dangerous factor for a state whose economic effectivity depends on strict discipline. endrus said:

One of my instructors assumed that at any point China could change. Maybe during the Olympics or somewhat later, but transition from this quasi-communism to a more open society seems pretty unavoidable.

One of my chinese students said China will certainly ’sort out the Taiwan problem’ — but after the Olympics :) Until then China has to pretend it’s mild and democracy-oriented.

I think ‘democratization’ isn’t on agenda at all. China’s main interest is gaining more power - economic or whatever. Open economy - OK. But not open society. Freedom for information-flows, ‘free-thinkers’ - it’s a dangerous factor for a state whose economic effectivity depends on strict discipline.

]]> Comment on Google && China by: endrus http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-333 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 14:47:59 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-333 Thanks, man! Yeah, I thought about that from the very beginning. I just needed registration at different blogging community sites. Planning to write a small study on the usage of various CMS's and blogging tools, so I had to get to know a few people in the sphere :). But, yeah, I will limit my main contents to two blogsome sites. Thanks, man!
Yeah, I thought about that from the very beginning. I just needed registration at different blogging community sites. Planning to write a small study on the usage of various CMS’s and blogging tools, so I had to get to know a few people in the sphere :).
But, yeah, I will limit my main contents to two blogsome sites.

]]> Comment on Google && China by: Administrator http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-332 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 14:17:09 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-332 <b>Endrus</b>: No problem! I've changed it to http://belarus.blogsome.com/ . In my opinion though http://belandrus.blogspot.com/ is also nice. It appears that you have at least three different blogs on the same topic at blogsome, blogpost and livejournal (or even 5 or 6 if we count your blogs in Belarusan language). You have excellent content, but it seems to be spread all over the place. Wouldn't it be better to put it all in one place and then to concentrate on its promotion and writing in one place? It's like you are spreading yourself thin all over the blogosphere... Endrus: No problem! I’ve changed it to http://belarus.blogsome.com/ . In my opinion though http://belandrus.blogspot.com/ is also nice. It appears that you have at least three different blogs on the same topic at blogsome, blogpost and livejournal (or even 5 or 6 if we count your blogs in Belarusan language). You have excellent content, but it seems to be spread all over the place. Wouldn’t it be better to put it all in one place and then to concentrate on its promotion and writing in one place? It’s like you are spreading yourself thin all over the blogosphere…

]]> Comment on Google && China by: Administrator http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-331 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 13:02:01 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-331 P.S. Google's official press release can be found here: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/google-in-china.html P.S. Google’s official press release can be found here:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/google-in-china.html

]]> Comment on Google && China by: chromatius http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-330 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 09:17:38 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-330 OK. Getting sick of this. 1. not news, not even new 2. MSN, AOL and Yahoo are already censoring in China 3. this is going on everywhere - Google 'google geolocation' and learn OK. Getting sick of this.

1. not news, not even new
2. MSN, AOL and Yahoo are already censoring in China
3. this is going on everywhere - Google ‘google geolocation’ and learn

]]> Comment on Google && China by: Daedalus http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-329 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 04:14:20 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-329 Money trumps all in America. Too bad Google, Yahoo, and MSN can't get together and refuse Chinese censorship. Those are the top three search engines- it would make a huge difference. Money trumps all in America. Too bad Google, Yahoo, and MSN can’t get together and refuse Chinese censorship. Those are the top three search engines- it would make a huge difference.

]]> Comment on Google && China by: endrus http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-328 Sat, 28 Jan 2006 04:02:22 +0000 http://www.br23.net/en/2006/01/28/google-china/#comment-328 You know when I heard this news I got really pissed. China seems to be so close to transforming into a more or less democratic state. But such instances as Google self-censorship are a like a backheel or a stab in the back. One of my instructors assumed that at any point China could change. Maybe during the Olympics or somewhat later, but transition from this quasi-communism to a more open society seems pretty unavoidable. But sure, China is a huge market. And some folks wanna make some buck no matter what. Don't they understand they slow down China's democratization? Offtop: thanks for inclusion of my sites to your blogroll. But the English-language blog I'm planning to keep up is this one - http://belarus.blogsome.com/ I use my blogger registration just for posting to other blogs. Sorry for confusion. You know when I heard this news I got really pissed. China seems to be so close to transforming into a more or less democratic state. But such instances as Google self-censorship are a like a backheel or a stab in the back.
One of my instructors assumed that at any point China could change. Maybe during the Olympics or somewhat later, but transition from this quasi-communism to a more open society seems pretty unavoidable. But sure, China is a huge market. And some folks wanna make some buck no matter what.
Don’t they understand they slow down China’s democratization?

Offtop: thanks for inclusion of my sites to your blogroll.
But the English-language blog I’m planning to keep up is this one - http://belarus.blogsome.com/
I use my blogger registration just for posting to other blogs. Sorry for confusion.

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