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I wonder if Schmidt would actually work with North Korea because while it could be profitable, it kind of goes against Google's "Don't Be Evil" motto given that

by error54 14y ago

I wonder if Schmidt would actually work with North Korea because while it could be profitable, it kind of goes against Google's "Don't Be Evil" motto given that North Korea is one of the biggest violators[1] of human rights on the planet. 1- http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/06/14/the-ongoing-human-rights-tragedy-occurring-in-north-korea/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/06/14/the-ongoing-...

willscott 14y ago
I'm sure many US companies would love to see North Korea become more hospitable to the west. A plausible near term goal might be running fiber over land between South Korea & China, which would probably be much cheaper than undersea cables. Longer term, political capital in DPRK gives companies more bargaining power in the region. If North Korea opens up to Google searches, think how bad it would make China look. Since North Korea is smaller and more volatile, change can potentially happen there faster. If there is a power shift or change in policy, the guy running IT isn't necessarily out of power as well - so it doesn't hurt to have him advocating your position.
WhaleBiologist 14y ago
No government on earth can claim that they do not violate human rights, either in public, or in secret. I guess Google can't do business with any government.
- csallen 14y ago
  "one of the biggest violators of human rights on the planet."
  - WhaleBiologist 14y ago
    But I thought Google isn't allowed to do _any_ evil.
    - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
      Fallacy of the absolute. There is no black and white, just lighter grays and darker grays.
      - iends 14y ago
        Is the speed of light not absolute? If what you said was true, wouldn't the statement you made be an absolute?
        seanmcdirmid 14y ago
        There is no speed of light, it's just a conversion between space and time right? I get tired of slippery slope everything is true or false arguments, I expect it on reddit but not really here.
      - debacle 14y ago
        How many different shades of gray are there?
        seanmcdirmid 14y ago
        How many rational numbers exist between 0 and 1?
        debacle 14y ago
        At least six.
    - flebron 14y ago
      No. The (informal) motto isn't "don't do evil", it's "don't be evil". Let's not take the dumb route of classifying every action as evil with respect to some set of ethical rules, and then denouncing Google's activity is in violation of a proposed "don't do evil" clause. I don't see what's to gain from that, save some mental masturbation. That aside, there is a very large difference between doing business with, say, the UK, which may have its fair share of human rights violations, and DPRK, definitely among the top 5 places in the planet, in terms of human rights abuses.
tedivm 14y ago
Have you read the speech from Kim Jong Un that prompted the trip? There's a bit of the military worship and grandstanding you'd expect, but it's shockingly progressive. Besides pushing for reaching global standards in education, science and technology, he's actually calling for peaceful discussions with South Korea about reunification, and removing the barriers for that. Kim Jong Un has barely been in power for a year, is not even thirty, and was educated in Switzerland. He's also a bit unknown, in that he was fairly well hidden from the world (seriously, it's kind of frightening). There is an actual, real chance that he wants to push for a peaceful reunification, something that would be amazingly good for the world. If he really wanted to do that one of the huge barriers is how polarized the two states are, both in terms of attitude towards each other and in terms of existing infrastructure. If reunification were to happen today it would probably destroy South Korea's economy, so if Kim Jong Un really wants peaceful unification he has to work to close the gap. Which is why someone who doesn't want to do evil may be compelled to explore this option.
- nacker 14y ago
  > If reunification were to happen today it would probably destroy South Korea's economy Hmm... well, personally, I have always thought that the whole "Don't be evil" thing was a case of protesting too much, on Google's part. Have you heard of In-Q-Tel? http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/07/16/156839153/in-q-tel-the-cias-tax-funded-player-in-silicon-valley http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/07/16/156839... http://www.corbettreport.com/meet-in-q-tel-the-cias-venture-capital-firm-preview/ http://www.corbettreport.com/meet-in-q-tel-the-cias-venture-... How do you think Samsung feels about Agent Schmidt's visit?
- drsim 14y ago
  I'm skeptical Kim Jong-Un's speech prompted this trip. There's nothing to suggest the two things are linked. But like you I'm optimistic that any change at the top could be a good thing.

by error54 14y ago

willscott 14y ago

I'm sure many US companies would love to see North Korea become more hospitable to the west. A plausible near term goal might be running fiber over land between South Korea & China, which would probably be much cheaper than undersea cables. Longer term, political capital in DPRK gives companies more bargaining power in the region. If North Korea opens up to Google searches, think how bad it would make China look. Since North Korea is smaller and more volatile, change can potentially happen there faster. If there is a power shift or change in policy, the guy running IT isn't necessarily out of power as well - so it doesn't hurt to have him advocating your position.

WhaleBiologist 14y ago

No government on earth can claim that they do not violate human rights, either in public, or in secret. I guess Google can't do business with any government.

csallen 14y ago
"one of the biggest violators of human rights on the planet."
- WhaleBiologist 14y ago
  But I thought Google isn't allowed to do _any_ evil.
  - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
    Fallacy of the absolute. There is no black and white, just lighter grays and darker grays.
    - iends 14y ago
      Is the speed of light not absolute? If what you said was true, wouldn't the statement you made be an absolute?
      - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
        There is no speed of light, it's just a conversion between space and time right? I get tired of slippery slope everything is true or false arguments, I expect it on reddit but not really here.
    - debacle 14y ago
      How many different shades of gray are there?
      - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
        How many rational numbers exist between 0 and 1?
        debacle 14y ago
        At least six.
  - flebron 14y ago
    No. The (informal) motto isn't "don't do evil", it's "don't be evil". Let's not take the dumb route of classifying every action as evil with respect to some set of ethical rules, and then denouncing Google's activity is in violation of a proposed "don't do evil" clause. I don't see what's to gain from that, save some mental masturbation. That aside, there is a very large difference between doing business with, say, the UK, which may have its fair share of human rights violations, and DPRK, definitely among the top 5 places in the planet, in terms of human rights abuses.

tedivm 14y ago

Have you read the speech from Kim Jong Un that prompted the trip? There's a bit of the military worship and grandstanding you'd expect, but it's shockingly progressive. Besides pushing for reaching global standards in education, science and technology, he's actually calling for peaceful discussions with South Korea about reunification, and removing the barriers for that. Kim Jong Un has barely been in power for a year, is not even thirty, and was educated in Switzerland. He's also a bit unknown, in that he was fairly well hidden from the world (seriously, it's kind of frightening). There is an actual, real chance that he wants to push for a peaceful reunification, something that would be amazingly good for the world. If he really wanted to do that one of the huge barriers is how polarized the two states are, both in terms of attitude towards each other and in terms of existing infrastructure. If reunification were to happen today it would probably destroy South Korea's economy, so if Kim Jong Un really wants peaceful unification he has to work to close the gap. Which is why someone who doesn't want to do evil may be compelled to explore this option.

nacker 14y ago
> If reunification were to happen today it would probably destroy South Korea's economy Hmm... well, personally, I have always thought that the whole "Don't be evil" thing was a case of protesting too much, on Google's part. Have you heard of In-Q-Tel? http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/07/16/156839153/in-q-tel-the-cias-tax-funded-player-in-silicon-valley http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2012/07/16/156839... http://www.corbettreport.com/meet-in-q-tel-the-cias-venture-capital-firm-preview/ http://www.corbettreport.com/meet-in-q-tel-the-cias-venture-... How do you think Samsung feels about Agent Schmidt's visit?
drsim 14y ago
I'm skeptical Kim Jong-Un's speech prompted this trip. There's nothing to suggest the two things are linked. But like you I'm optimistic that any change at the top could be a good thing.