When in China

It's truly a terrible time to be Google. The U.S. government is pushing for the site's directors to release search records, free-speech advocates are yelling because the site bowed to the wishes of an oppressive Chinese government and the special logo the site put up for Mozart's birth kind of stunk. \nOK, that last one isn't really a serious concern. I just didn't like it. But the first two are serious. Congress passed the Child Online Protection Act in 1998, and now, the Department of Justice is asking for search records in order to prove how easily children can stumble onto pornographic materials on the Internet. Every other major search engine, aside from Google, has already complied with the DoJ's request. On this hand, we have Google unwilling to bow to those who would say that private searches for information are just that: private.\nMeanwhile, Google has launched www.google.cn in China, complying with the Chinese government's request that politically sensitive searches such as "democracy" and "Taiwanese independence" be heavily filtered. China, with its booming population, is considered one of the fastest-growing markets, and the minds behind Google have never been ones to miss a burgeoning opportunity. Bloggers worldwide are howling, saying that this means that Google, with its corporate motto "Don't be evil," has finally morphed into a proper corporation, with all that implies. Google has defended itself, saying that the information that is getting through the government filters is better than no information. So on the other hand, we have Google willing to bow to those who say that private searches can be private, as long as no one is searching for subversive information.\nWould you want to be one of the minds behind Google this week?\nBefore I defend Google, and I will, I want to issue a disclaimer. I use Google for everything. I have a Gmail account. The ultimate grin in the situation is that I used GoogleNews to research this column. Yes, I'm biased, but I'm in favor of anything that makes my life easier -- especially if their corporate catchphrase is "Don't be evil." Yes, even if they occasionally act in ways that seem, well, slightly evil. \nSo do the two situations that have come to light this week balance each other out? I'm going to say yes. Here at home, Google is doing its best to protect its users and their right to privacy. Abroad, they're doing the best they can. Should they have bowed to China? Of course they shouldn't have. A repressive government is a bad government, period. But I think Google's Senior Policy Counsel Andrew McLaughlin hit the nail on the head when he said, "While removing search results is inconsistent with Google's mission, providing no information ... is more inconsistent with our mission." They're doing good work here at home, and to that, I say, "Good job, Google, keep it up." Search results might be used to study porn today, but tomorrow, they might be used to squash dissent and ferret out "subversives." Regarding China, I think they're in a tough spot, but I beg the powers-that-be to remember why the Internet exists in the first place.