(Seattle, WA) One week after Google announced its objections to Chinese government censorship and related security breaches, the war of words between the Internet giant and the Chinese government continues to intensify. China’s initial response to the crisis has been muted, especially given the sheer size of Google’s breach of self-censorship protocols. For a few short hours, China’s Internet was suddenly open and free. How will the Chinese respond going forward?
It is clear that a raging debate is going on among CCP leaders about what steps they should take next. Certain Google managers and programmers who orchestrated the Google opening most likely violated multiple Chinese laws and regulations, and could conceivably face arrest. However, jailing them would turn them into martyrs, and could precipitate a diplomatic crisis with the United States. The government could simply shut down Google.cn and other domain registrations, yank Google’s business license and send its foreign staff packing. They could even threaten Google advertisers and 100 million users to quit the service or face possible criminal or civil sanctions for aiding and abetting the spread of state secrets; i.e. disseminating uncensored news coverage about forbidden issues like the Tiananmen Square Incident to foreign entities.
On January 18th, a prominent government-run newspaper, the China Daily published an Op/ed article in its online edition which gives us a preview of what we can expect next from the Chinese in their war against Google. Rather than immediately shutting down the firm, the government has decided to tap into lingering concerns shared by experts and users worldwide about Internet privacy and the behemoth’s growing influence over global commerce. The article, “Do no evil (claim) lays bare web giant’s hypocrisy,” written by a Japan-based professor Philip Cunningham, asserts that Google’s complaints about hackers trying to read user emails or spy on its operations reek of hypocrisy. What about Google itself? Google gathers incredible amounts of information about its customers. What is the company doing with all that data? Are they ”doing no evil” as their corporate mantra says?
The author continues, “Internet users communing alone with their computers at all times of day and night leave a long, detailed electronic trail about their fears, fetishes, tastes, likes, dislikes, health concerns, political leanings and pet peeves that open numerous windows of vulnerability, almost as if the Internet were a trusted friend, which it decidedly is not.” He concludes that “Google’s founders may be decent guys with no intent to do evil, but they have created a “Frankenstein.” Other China Daily articles have pushed forward the additional argument that Google was already doing poorly in the China market, so it trumped-up a cover story to burnish its ‘freedom loving’ values to hide its business woes.
China’s varied verbal attacks may draw some netizens to the government’s defense. China’s “rally around the flag” call for Internet users to stand up against Google’s imperialistic, flagrant disrespect for Chinese culture, society and political stability may well placate some users. However, millions of other users who last week suddenly experienced for the first time what a free and open Internet looks like, may have second thoughts about the sincerity of Chinese government claims.
It seems to me that if Google really wants to “walk the walk” in promoting Internet openness, now is the time to act. Rather than making a slow exit, Google management should try to continue to operate in China and push the envelope to see how far the government is willing to go. In the end, China may very well take draconian measures to shut it down. However, it may also try to reach an accommodation. The latter could have wide-ranging implications for Chinese culture, society and the future of the Internet. At the moment, Google seems to have the upper hand in the war for hearts and minds outside China as well as among a minority of China’s 350 million Internet user. Now is the time for Google to show its true colors.
Written by:
Dr. Jonathan Harrington (January 18th, 2010)–Associate Professor of International Relations/Troy University
For more information about Dr. Harrington, visit www.climatediet.com
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