Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of ethical violations?

Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by snek on Sunday August 12, 2018 @08:02PM (#17747170)

Google Search provides information. Blocking access to information is, by the nature of the action, disenfranchising and oppressive. If Google were to re-enter the Chinese market, their Search product would either be controlled by the current government or they would be kicked out. I would argue that Google providing censored results is harmful to that 20%, so it is better to stay out.

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by caibkai on Sunday August 12, 2018 @08:30PM (#17747276)

Baidu has monopolized power in Chinese market as a search engine. It sold advertisement to fake hospital and ranked the advertisement as a top searching result. A young Chinese student died because of the fake hospital advertisement (Wei Zexi scandal). A censored google can still create more competition. How could it be harmful to that 20%?

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by reaperducer on Sunday August 12, 2018 @10:03PM (#17747564)

A censored google can still create more competition.

A censored Google isn't more competition. It's just more of what already exists, with different branding.

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by mirimir on Sunday August 12, 2018 @09:23PM (#17747442)

Because everyone knows that Baidu is government-controlled. So google.cn, even though many would know that it's also compromised, would basically be a honeypot. It would be far better for access to Google to remain dependent on VPN and Tor. And in that regard, it'd be very cool if Google didn't block Tor exits.

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by seanmcdirmid on Sunday August 12, 2018 @09:30PM (#17747459)

Baidu is not government controlled, just submissive to it. Though it operates under the credo of “ask for forgiveness rather than permission” like almost every other Chinese tech company, so even that relationship is complicated.

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by reaperducer on Sunday August 12, 2018 @10:09PM (#17747594)

Like a dog on a leash isn't controlled by its owner, it's just submissive to him? Riiiiiight.

If Baidu was really doing anything independent, then it would get reined in, like the overseas Chinese real estate firms are.

As for censorship:

"According to the China Digital Times, Baidu has a long history of being the most active and restrictive online censor in the search arena. Documents leaked in April 2009 from an employee in Baidu's internal monitoring and censorship department show a long list of blocked websites and censored topics on Baidu search."

I don't think Baidu came up with that list all by itself.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baidu#Censorship

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by seanmcdirmid on Monday August 13, 2018 @01:15AM (#17748140)

I don't think you really get how Chinese businesses operate. Tech businesses, as long as they are Chinese, operate under an assumption of semi-impunity as long as they don't cross political boundaries. So healthcare fraud is in bounds, and if they get caught, they'll just get a slap on the wrist. Its not like the government condones the fraud, more like they don't care as long as it doesn't result in social instability.

Real estate firms and other industries like taxi groups are more likely to be directly controlled by princelings, so those are something else altogether. The government has a direct channel into these industries, because they are basically like a state-controlled mafia.

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by mirimir on Monday August 13, 2018 @12:14PM (#17751182)

> Tech businesses, as long as they are Chinese, operate under an assumption of semi-impunity as long as they don't cross political boundaries. So healthcare fraud is in bounds, and if they get caught, they'll just get a slap on the wrist.

Wait. So are you arguing that Chinese tech businesses are under state control, or that they aren't? Your examples point to a horrible compromise: political censorship with freedom to defraud the public.

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Re:Google's censored Chinese search engine: a catalogue of e... by seanmcdirmid on Monday August 13, 2018 @12:41PM (#17751415)

They are under state control so much as they are subject to state regulation and law and pressure. At the same time they are controlled they are also really free.

Ya, and it does suck for consumers.

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