In 2006, Google agreed to censor itself to get a piece of the Chinese market. Sold it’s soul to the devil in other terms. Through the years, Google got mad because the Chinese intermittently would block Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (all owned by Google), and one day last year they shut them all off and never let them back online. Google wasn’t making any money. A few weeks ago Google announced it would stop censoring itself and if China didn’t like it, they’d pull out. Their deadline was last Tuesday. They’re still in China, and they’re still censored. It was clearly a power play with Beijing to get their biggest money-makers like Facebook and YouTube back online making money / free advertising.
Many companies are unethical, but isn’t Google particularly unethical for using this issue to further it’s profits?
Liuzhou Laowai: You say Google is not censored in China and I’m in fairyland? Hahaha good one.
March 2, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Google is all about the money, ethics take a back seat. They do have a slide and ball pool in some offices though. I think this makes up for it.
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March 2, 2010 at 2:58 pm
one of the most, there are more like them out there.
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March 2, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I guess is better than nothing.
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March 2, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Do you know that if you compose an email in GMail, it sends your keystrokes over the internet to Google, unencrypted?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg7pVFVqMMg
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March 2, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I don’t know about “unethical” – several online service providers play footsy with the Chinese secret police. But Google sure hasn’t done their credibility any favors.
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March 2, 2010 at 3:57 pm
China is crazy. Google should mind their own business elsewhere. Nice choice of words with “pull out”.
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March 2, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Here’s something more scary. Google and Yahoo are working together
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March 2, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Companies are in business to make money not to further human rights. Compared to the many companies who have promoted slave labor and corruption in other countries Google’s lack of action is very mild. Despite what the supreme court says corporations are not persons and they do not have a moral code so expecting ethical behavior is unrealistic.
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March 2, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Show one major company that puts its people and customers before profit and stock holders, and executive pay. I know profit pays the bills, but you could have a little compassion.
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March 2, 2010 at 6:16 pm
money has no friends.
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March 2, 2010 at 7:12 pm
I could name a hundred companies that are more unethical than google. A few examples include include Haliburton, Blackwater, and all the wall street banks.
Others that were considered very reputable until they were caught was Enron and Worldcom.
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March 2, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Well, don’t let facts get in the way of your rant.
Facebook is NOT owned by Google.
Twitter is NOT owned by Google
You Tube is.
Google is NOT censored in China. google.com is freely available and uncensored. google.cn IS censored but each case of censorship is flagged as such.
If you can’t get your basic facts correct, your whole argument fails. Grow up!
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March 2, 2010 at 8:20 pm
I don’t see the problem.
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March 2, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Ethics are a principal very infrequently recognised by giant companies. It’s money, money, money at every twist and turn. Profits and power are the bywords of these commercial pirates. However, it is likely that Google could just catch a cold on this one. The Chinese have always played the game behind the shadows and I wouldn’t mind a few quid on, sometime in the future and without warning, the plug will be pulled resulting in the Google baby going down the plug hole!
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March 2, 2010 at 10:08 pm
No, I reckon the US government is the most unethical company out there.
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