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[teacupdiaries]

I never got around to that nap, and now it's too late to take one. DOH! I have NOT been productive today (apart from the gym, class, food shopping, and wrapping ebay items) so i feel a little guilty now. I'm so tiiiiiiired, though.

Anyway, this is important. Read on

Comments

[hidenplainsight]

In order to operate in China, and not be targeted by Chinese actions against them, Google had to agree to play by the laws of China. The other choice would be for Google to be blocked entirely from within China, and possibly for Chinese state hackers to be given a go ahead. Not that I think China would destroy a western company for fun, but one of Google's business principles is "Try not to be evil." Google isn't supporting China, but acceding to its demands because not to do so is to invite the wrath of communists. Whereas in the U.S., Google is telling the FBI, CIA, etc to go f themselves because the law supports them here.
The question you're seeing is what is the role of a multinational corporation? Should they be held to the standards of states, or to more stringent rules in moral/ethical questions?
Google provides a service; in order to serve those people that wish to use Google in China, they *must* obey Chinese laws or refuse them service. Else they become illegal within China, and subject to Chinese courts demanding payment, Chinese police investigations of employees, seizure, harassment, etc...
Really, at this point most Sci-Fi authors had us in a single world government, and the headaches of multinational corporations juggling laws to do the best they can wasn't in their minds.
If you're wondering specifically... of all the search engines, all of the ones accessible in China concede that they must comply with China's laws, even if they are questionable. Of them, Yahoo has turned over private information at the request of the Chinese government which led to the arrest and detention of "dissident" journalists.
And in China, I believe they censor heavily contact with outside sources... so you can't just go to www.google.co.uk and get around the filters. (Kindof like I can't get to the Al-Jazeera web page. Wonder how that happened... Course I haven't tried in a year or so.)
Okay, now I'm rambling and have wandered so far afield, I'll just go and comment on the other post. I like that one better anyways. ;)

[teacupdiaries]

*sighs* I see what you're saying (and thank you for the info about Yahoo) but I'm still weirded out by it, since Google could have chosen not to operate within China at all.

I just love me some Tibet. ;_;

[hidenplainsight]

Mmm. Tibet. I like how it's depicted in travelogues.

Not sure about it in person, though... just being buddhist doesn't make people stop sucking, and it's one of those remote places that *might* have an insular populace. But I'd like to at least visit someday and find out.

[teacupdiaries]

just being buddhist doesn't make people stop sucking

I've always been amused when people describe Tibetans as "inherently peaceful people" because their history (right up to the present day) is FULL of war and vicious warrior classes and nastiness. There's actually a folktale in Tibet that goes as follows:

Avalokitesvara (the bodhisattva of compassion) was on earth in one of his first incarnations; that of a monkey, when he heard a mournful cry. It was an ogress who was the only one of her kind. She was crying because she desperately wanted a family, but there were no ogres and no other beings willing to mate with such an ugly, violent creature.

Filled with compassion, A went to her in his monkey form, and the two lived together until they both passed on, having many children together. These children were the first Tibetans.

Tibetans say that this origin explains their dual natures: the spiritual side of peace and compassion (aka Buddhism) is from the bodhisattva, and the war-hungry side and capacity for violence stems from the ogress.

It's one of my favourite origin myths. :)

[hidenplainsight]

Awwww... sweaty monkey ogre love.
And on Valentine's day... *sniff*

I must now go drink a lot. That's one of the better myths I've heard too. =)