Yesterday, an attack on Google in order to break into the email accounts of Chinese civil rights activists prompted a threat by Google to overturn censorship demands that the nation demanded when Google China was first used. The move would be the first act of defiance for Western companies who have entered the Eastern market and abided by the confines of the Chinese government in order to guarantee access to the billion-plus market.
This rejection of Chinese interference is not only novel as a major international company but in international relations as well. Many companies in a similar position would not have the fiscal option of being unrelenting in preserving Western ideals of freedom of speech and transparency. Even the American government’s catastrophic debt to China and desire for them to participate in initiatives that will be globally beneficial prevents any outspokenness on the topic of civil rights.
Google is perhaps the only enterprise, including governments, in the world today that is in a position to call the shots with the nation poised to become the second largest economy in the world. How this will be received by China, and the outcome in the event they choose not to comply with Google’s demands on the governments relationship with the public is sure to be something to observe. Google has become a staple of browsing in China as it has in the US and the decision to withdraw would naturally arise some suspicion and anger in the highly insulated population.
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