Google Praised, Chided for Sanitized Site
Associated Press
Boston Herald, US
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Shanghai, (China):
Google’s decision to filter sensitive topics from Web searches in China is a major triumph for the regime’s campaign to have the Internet censor itself, observers said Thursday, amid mounting criticism of the move.
However, scholars who study the Internet in China said free speech advocates still had room for optimism. While China’s grip on Web content appears to be tightening, communist authorities can’t stop the overall trend toward access to more information and greater transparency, they said.
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See Also:
Google searches censored in China
Google censorship irks media watchdogs
Google's China web
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Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc. said its decision to launch a sanitized version of its famed search engine using China’s ".cn" suffix was aimed at reaching China’s massive Internet audience. It defended the move as a trade-off.
The new site, launched on Wednesday, omits independent Web sites from searches about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing. Instead users are directed only to Web sites espousing the government’s views on such issues.
One prominent human rights advocate, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, said it was "astounding" that Google, whose company motto is "Don’t Be Evil," would cooperate with such censorship "just to make a buck."
Jan 26, 2006
Associated Press
Boston Herald, US
_____________
Shanghai, (China):
Google’s decision to filter sensitive topics from Web searches in China is a major triumph for the regime’s campaign to have the Internet censor itself, observers said Thursday, amid mounting criticism of the move.
However, scholars who study the Internet in China said free speech advocates still had room for optimism. While China’s grip on Web content appears to be tightening, communist authorities can’t stop the overall trend toward access to more information and greater transparency, they said.
__________________
See Also:
Google searches censored in China
Google censorship irks media watchdogs
Google's China web
__________________
Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc. said its decision to launch a sanitized version of its famed search engine using China’s ".cn" suffix was aimed at reaching China’s massive Internet audience. It defended the move as a trade-off.
The new site, launched on Wednesday, omits independent Web sites from searches about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing. Instead users are directed only to Web sites espousing the government’s views on such issues.
One prominent human rights advocate, U.S. Congressman Chris Smith, said it was "astounding" that Google, whose company motto is "Don’t Be Evil," would cooperate with such censorship "just to make a buck."
Jan 26, 2006
