http://www.proxyz.be/proxy.php?q=aHR...VuJmFydD01OTA3

13 April, 2006
CHINA
Google and Beijing together to turn screws on open information
Communist Party propaganda department bans use of foreign news services or channels as sources. Google says it had no choice but to accept restrictions, including censorship.

Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) – China is putting the screws on the media. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television today told local stations not to use international news material from foreign news services or channels a day after Google announced it was accepting government censorship and reset its search engine to intercept unwelcome words such as ‘democracy’, ‘Tibet’ or ‘Taiwan’.

In a notice on its website, the mainland's media watchdog reminded regional television stations to restrict their coverage of overseas events to reports by China Central Television and China Radio International, which are controlled by the Communist Party propaganda department. It also warned news broadcasters to “strengthen their political sensitivity” to “ensure a healthy and orderly development of international TV news reporting and maintain a correct propaganda direction”.

Google yesterday took the wraps off its Chinese service named ‘Gu Ge’ or ‘Valley Song’ answering its critics by saying that it had no choice but to accept restrictions if it wanted to have access to China's internet market.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that the search engine will exclude words like Taiwan, Tibet or democracy considered too sensitive for Beijing.

“I think it's arrogant for us to walk into a country where we are just beginning to operate and tell that country how to operate,” Mr Schmidt noted. Instead, “it is important to operate Google's worldwide service based on local law and local custom,” adding that censorship was a more widespread phenomenon.

None the less, he said he did not “know where (Chinese) revenue growth will be, but it will obviously be large”.

Currently, China constitutes the second largest internet market in the world with 111 million users—expected to become 126 million by the end of the year—and should overtake the United States in two years time.

What ever happened to the US Congressional action on this??

How many of you which are so quick to criticise China's censorship are still using google and thus supporting the very thing you so vocally denounce??

Time to find a new search engine I suppose. Lycos anyone?

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060131-144050

Google, Microsoft Say No To US Congressional Briefing On Chinese Censorship

Google won't talk to Congress about China from the San Francisco Chronicle covers Google declining an invitation to appear before the US Congressional Rights Caucus to discuss Chinese censorship. Microsoft's not going either; Yahoo's still debating. A different hearing in congress also scheduled for later this month. So far, Yahoo is the only company that's agreed to attend that one.

No wonder Hu Jintao's first stop on this trip is dinner with his friend Bill Gates.

Have we entered a time in our history during which money and big business can work in open opposition to the demands and laws of the very countries they are resident?

See you on Lycos, Marine.

Other options which are not joining the censorship bandwagon are...

www.askjeeves.com

www.teoma.com

www.altavista.com

www.gigablast.com

www.looksmart.com

Seriously. Let's try another search engine. Which one is better in your opinion? I'd go for Altavista which I used to use before Google but tell me something about this Lycos.

I just checked out on the web and apparently lycos is powered by google but altavista is not. If enough people vote with their feet we can make a difference just like small communities have done with Wal-Mart in the last few years.

Yeah I'm not a boycott-lover but it costs nothing to change engine. I'd go for Altavista. Is it two of us already?

P.S. Going to start a new thread on this.

Yahoo just revealed another guy's identity to Chinese officials.

I cannot tell you just how sick this makes me. American companies actively cooperating with the Chinese government in censorship. It should be a crime if it is not already. To me it is no different than the DuPont and Rockefeller's doing business with Nazi Germany in the 1930's and 40's.

Money talks.

http://committeetoprotectbloggers.civiblog.org/

Apparently so but it in no way excuses the behaviour of these American companies. I say its time to send the Russian immigrant who started Google BACK to Russia since he seems more ideologically suited for his former country than his adopted one.

People are losing their freedom and their lives as a DIRECT result of their actions and they are NOT being held accountable.