[ILUG] Mother of God!

[Colm MacCarthaigh]

On Tue, Feb 14, 2006 at 09:00:33PM +0000, Colm Buckley wrote:
> 	* Chinese user searches on google.cn for "unsafe" terms.
> 		Only safe pages are returned.
> 		User is notified that pages have been removed.
> 		Connection is maintained.

And more and more users go this route, and the Great firewall gets to
log more and more of those requests.

> 	* In addition, user can *still* try their luck on google.com as 
> 	before.
> 
> We have not taken *anything* away from Chinese users.  We have  
> provided an additional portal to them to make use of should they want  
> to avoid firewall roulette.

Google has cooperated with and legitimised the human-rights unfriendly
actions of the Chinese Government. Google has taken respect away, both
from itself and for its users. Eventually these actions will almost
certainly deprive some people of their liberty too.

I could make the very same argument about kicking; If you were getting
beaten up by the man, and I step in and give you a light kicking
instead, sure amn't I saving you a beating? And hey, what harm is it if
I make a little money for myself while I'm at it, it's all good right?
I'm totally anti-beating after all, and hell if you want to chance the
beating - go right ahead.

Fortunately, morality doesn't work like this. If you kick me; you're in
the wrong, simple as that. It doesn't matter that you're saving me a
beating, because that's wrong too. The only way our rights are
maintained is by constant shared vigilance. 

When you play any part in denying people rights, no matter what the
alternatives are, you're part of the problem.

-- 
Colm MacCárthaigh                        Public Key: colm+pgp at stdlib.net