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When google initially entered the Chinese market more than a decade ago, it offered a censored version of google search conformed to the censorship requirements

When google initially entered the Chinese market more than a decade ago, it offered a censored version of google search conformed to the censorship requirements set by the Chinese government. It argued that the most ethical option was to offer some restricted services to Chinese rather than leave hundreds of millions of Chinese Internet users with limited access to information [1]. Basically it argued that Chinese need google (and other American internet companies) to avoid being left behind in the Internet age. Interestingly, 7 years after its quit from the Chinese market, the Internet sector in China is booming with 4 out of world's top 10 Internet companies being Chinese companies [2]. Now they are setting up this AI centre, surely that is to help Chinese avoid being left behind in the AI age again. We will see. ;) [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/why-google-quit-china-and-why-its-heading-back/424482/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/why-g... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Internet_companies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Internet_compa...

opportune 9y ago
I'm pretty sure that was, from the very beginning, just corporate lingo for "the profits outweigh the moral concerns". In retrospect, it was inevitable that China would develop its own Google/Facebook/Amazon through their strange neo-mercantillist economic strategy.
vatueil 9y ago
Google.cn was better than the alternatives, since it at least disclosed when search results had to be censored (sorta like the notices when links are removed due to copyright takedowns). Of course the CPC didn't like that, and it was probably one of the things which ultimately led to Google leaving/being driven out of China. It would have been much more profitable to simply comply rather than lose the Chinese market, as numerous other Western companies have done.

opportune 9y ago

I'm pretty sure that was, from the very beginning, just corporate lingo for "the profits outweigh the moral concerns". In retrospect, it was inevitable that China would develop its own Google/Facebook/Amazon through their strange neo-mercantillist economic strategy.

vatueil 9y ago

Google.cn was better than the alternatives, since it at least disclosed when search results had to be censored (sorta like the notices when links are removed due to copyright takedowns). Of course the CPC didn't like that, and it was probably one of the things which ultimately led to Google leaving/being driven out of China. It would have been much more profitable to simply comply rather than lose the Chinese market, as numerous other Western companies have done.