You Can't Google This

In a way Google has become a synonym for everything the internet can offer. How many times a day do you say “I’ll just Google it” when you need to know something, anything? I’ll bet Gen Y-ers don’t even know that “to Google” isn’t really a legitimate verb.

So what’s going on with Google? First – the California search company resists a Justice Department subpoena for tons of web search data. And then it complies with China’s censors and deploys a stripped-down search engine for Chinese web surfers that won’t pull up sites devoted to human rights, or freedom of speech, or even sex.

Google of course isn’t the only company kowtowing to China. The continuing accommodation of ALL companies to China's communist government is extremely worrisome to free speech advocates. Companies are so desperate for China's business -- because of the market's size -- it seems they are willing to do almost anything to get it.

It is particularly ironic that Google was the only search company in the US to resist DOJ's subpoena for search results (with names stripped out) -- an admirable stance at a time when the Bush administration wants to get its hands on more and more personal information. And it seems rather inconsistent -- until you look at Google’s stock price. It went down on resistance in the US last week -- and up yesterday morning on the prospect of more Chinese business.

Since the short term focus of the big investors and hedge funds drives almost all business decisions these days --- you can see where all this is heading. Right to a world where the really important things in life like human rights and free speech will be blithely jettisoned -- when and if they get in the way of making more money! Just my not-so-humble opinion.