As we mentioned earlier, and even earlier than that, the future of Google’s operations in China are up in the air following a security breech targeting human rights advocates’ gmail accounts. Google SVP, David Drummond, had this to say about the situation via Google’s Official blog.
In the past week, the internet has remained a-buzz with news of government involvement, conspiracy theories, and speculation about the future of Google.cn. The Wall Street Journal‘s L. Gordon Crovits compares digital piracy to the dangers experienced by eighteenth century Barbary Coast seafarers, wondering, “If high-tech companies are the unarmed ships of our era, will the U.S. now protect the modern sea lanes that enable global communications?”
After her speech this past Thursday, it certainly seems like Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, intends to. Grant Gross takes a look at the finer points of Clinton’s speech for PC World, or you can read the Financial Times‘ full transcription of the speech for yourself.
Over on the other end of the debate, Han Dongping criticizes Clinton’s speech for China Daily, citing the horrors caused by uncensored full disclosure by governments to their people, urging readers to reconsider valuing honesty so highly: “We can always find out the truth a little bit later when things calm down.”
On his way to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, Bill Gates had a few things to say about Google, both as a competitor and hot political topic, “What point are they making? Now, if Google ever chooses to pull out of the United States, then I’d give them credit.”
Over in this corner of the internet, ethnographic researcher, Tricia Wang, puts the great debate into perspective, arguing that the Google.cn debacle is almost a moot point, considering how few Chinese people apparently use the internet search engine.
