In Support of Google’s Move
Google pulled out of China because it refuses to keep censoring its search results and I think that move deserves some praise and support. Certainly not nearly as much praise and support as, say, seriously working towards improving the chances that the Chinese users would find information that their government doesn’t want them to find, such as by setting up proxy servers and creating and using other technologies that’d circumvent the censorship methods, but it’s a start. Even if the censorship still prevents people from actually accessing all those sites without using proxy servers, they could now be even more aware of what exactly is being censored, because they will see the results showing up but notice that they can’t access the sites in question. And this improved awareness could help to a certain extent.
Sure, it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what needs to be done, but I think it’s still a bold move and it deserves some recognition. And this recognition could also serve as a rally call, encouraging more people to speak up and act, strengthening the message that censorship must vanish, that it will no longer be tolerated. Or, at the very least, sending such a strong message would simply put pressure on Google to stick to this decision and not run back in there with their tail between their legs, accepting all the Chinese government’s conditions once again.
I’m really in no condition to write any more about it right now, but if there is something that an armchair activist can do for this, do let me know. A petition to sign, an e-mail address to write to, even some sort of official poll to vote in… I think it’s a message worth sending in an organized manner, letting them know that we’re here and we’re watching.
