It's hard not to say... google has too much power. they are too dangerous...
but when they stand up to china in a way the US government has refused to do for 50 years, you can't help but think... fuck it, they've earned the right to wield that power.
and while I'll personally remain committed to being prepared for the day that sergey brin and larry page leave google to it's eventual demise... for now I can't help but cheer them on, in the hope that more and more american and european leaders ( economic and political ) will start standing up to china.
we could crush chinas economy with minimal effort. they know this. and they would never even consider a military response to the united states because it culturally is inconceivable for them to risk the economic blow back and possible annihilation. we stand to lose nothing in telling china it's our way or the highway.
In fact, we have everything to gain if china decides to put the screws to us. If we were to reduce our manufacturing reliance on china and put greater effort into re-developing our manufacturing and industrial base in the US... while pushing across copenhagen reforms ( only far more badass ) we could effectively cut china out of europe and the US. And that is what china... and both the US and Europe truly need.
China needs to undergo severe reform before it can take a role in the pantheon of super powers. Their economy needs to favor a middle class. Their government needs to favor open and free flow of information, as does the academic pursuits.
If china cannot conform to environmental, humanitarian needs, as well as to be blunt... the needs of anyone else other than themselves. Then they are unprepared. We should move to isolate them until they can get their act together and join the rest of the world in pursuing a better future.
In doing so we can also rejuvinate the rust belt.. .and bring much needed technological improvement to the infrastructure of our nation... we can provide our low income and lower middle class families with opportunities in industry that actually have a future. We can bring opportunity back into reach of the masses.
And along the way we can re-establish the pride americans once had in their country.
I dunno... I guess I am enjoying a pleasant little fantasy... in which google didn't bow to chinese compromise. A fantasy in which the whole world decided... you know what... fuck chinese manufacturing costs. It's unsafe. It's environmentally suicidal. And at the end of the day, it's unethical to do business with this country.
So... google... I am almost certain you'll end up bowing to market pressure in the face of compromise... but lord knows I hope you are just the first falling stones in an avalanche of support for a better world, and a better china.
but when they stand up to china in a way the US government has refused to do for 50 years, you can't help but think... fuck it, they've earned the right to wield that power.
and while I'll personally remain committed to being prepared for the day that sergey brin and larry page leave google to it's eventual demise... for now I can't help but cheer them on, in the hope that more and more american and european leaders ( economic and political ) will start standing up to china.
we could crush chinas economy with minimal effort. they know this. and they would never even consider a military response to the united states because it culturally is inconceivable for them to risk the economic blow back and possible annihilation. we stand to lose nothing in telling china it's our way or the highway.
In fact, we have everything to gain if china decides to put the screws to us. If we were to reduce our manufacturing reliance on china and put greater effort into re-developing our manufacturing and industrial base in the US... while pushing across copenhagen reforms ( only far more badass ) we could effectively cut china out of europe and the US. And that is what china... and both the US and Europe truly need.
China needs to undergo severe reform before it can take a role in the pantheon of super powers. Their economy needs to favor a middle class. Their government needs to favor open and free flow of information, as does the academic pursuits.
If china cannot conform to environmental, humanitarian needs, as well as to be blunt... the needs of anyone else other than themselves. Then they are unprepared. We should move to isolate them until they can get their act together and join the rest of the world in pursuing a better future.
In doing so we can also rejuvinate the rust belt.. .and bring much needed technological improvement to the infrastructure of our nation... we can provide our low income and lower middle class families with opportunities in industry that actually have a future. We can bring opportunity back into reach of the masses.
And along the way we can re-establish the pride americans once had in their country.
I dunno... I guess I am enjoying a pleasant little fantasy... in which google didn't bow to chinese compromise. A fantasy in which the whole world decided... you know what... fuck chinese manufacturing costs. It's unsafe. It's environmentally suicidal. And at the end of the day, it's unethical to do business with this country.
So... google... I am almost certain you'll end up bowing to market pressure in the face of compromise... but lord knows I hope you are just the first falling stones in an avalanche of support for a better world, and a better china.
Well, they did agree with censorship in the first place... Maybe they found out that they can't profit in the web search market if the search results are censored or whatever... I don't think they would stand up to China simply because it's the right thing to do. IMO the "do no evil" thing is just bullshit.
Still, whatever their reasons are, the decision to not conform to China is certainly laudable. I'm very interested in how this will end up.
Still, whatever their reasons are, the decision to not conform to China is certainly laudable. I'm very interested in how this will end up.
Actually the reason is pretty insane... read their blog post about it.
Apparently they are straight up accusing the chinese government of attacking their systems and other companies systems in an attempt to access data related to humanitarian rights activists in china.
The US state department issued a notice today that they've been made aware of the situation by reports from google and are looking into the matter now.
Apparently they are straight up accusing the chinese government of attacking their systems and other companies systems in an attempt to access data related to humanitarian rights activists in china.
The US state department issued a notice today that they've been made aware of the situation by reports from google and are looking into the matter now.
this post has been archived.
new tweet from wikileaks
Several rumours from google sources that China accessed google's US-gov intercept system which provides gmail subjects/dates
Several rumours from google sources that China accessed google's US-gov intercept system which provides gmail subjects/dates
Oh, that's lovely.
can't think of a better word.