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RSS FeedGoogle claims that Internet censorship is the same as international trade barriers
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| Disagree | 57% | 92 votes | Total: 160 votes | |
| Agree | 43% | 68 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThe only way Google can believe that internet censorship is the same as international trade barriers is due the money they can get if they adhere to the rules of a particular country's political idealism.
China would not let Google into its boundaries unless they agreed to censorship. For the want of money Google did this and immediately compromised the freedom of the internet.
Google might think from a business perspective that they have just agreed to an international "trade" barrier, but I don't. They have allowed a censorship which is the thin edge of the wedge towards total censorship and the ending of free speech. The only way you should be able to access porn is if you search for something that indicates that subject, but I know sometimes these slip through. But it is not just porn that is being banned here but any form of political or philosophical thought, and Google are adhering to "thought control" when they allow censorship of the internet in any way.
There are many areas in our life where we have to be careful what we say and how we say it, but each country is different and the only way they are going to stop being insular and totally inward looking is by one area of people's lives where it is possible to speak freely, and agree to disagree if necessary. By asking for this censureship, China are actually demonstrating they are not sure their actions are accepted by all their people, that the motives and reasons behind those actions are not understood, or might even be wrong. To control the people, and make them say only what the politicians say is not only wrong, but bullying and destructive.
The internet is the one place where freedom of thought and speech should remain. But the way things are going, we will all be unable to say what I have just said very soon: the censor clamps will be in place preventing it. I lament that time.
Learn more about this author, Carol Noble.
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Agree
Google is right: censoring the internet is essentially the same as selectively restricting trade. In fact, it is probably worse.
Information is a commodity like any other. A business with more information at its disposal will crush its competitors, and informed citizens wield great political power. Would a company like General Motors suffer more from a restriction on the trade of parts or access to consumers granted by the internet? It's hard to say. Or if you took away a citizen's phone, he cannot call his congressman. In the same token, if one takes away his ability to read information critical of his government, he will have nothing to say even if he has a phone.
Furthermore, full access to the internet is just as important to individuals as imported products and services. Many countries in the world have no facilities to build airplanes, but they benefit greatly from the ability to purchase and use those made in other places. Similarly, when people are able to get whatever information they need, they are empowered and have greater personal and political freedom.
Learn more about this author, Mark L..
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