As I'm sure everyone here knows, there's been some big time developments in the saga of internet searching, most notably regarding Google and their foray into launching Google.cn and their censorship of resources and search results.
So I've been doing a little reading up on the subject and found an article that discusses the way that Google filters their search results to comply with regulations of the Chinese government. It's kind interesting in that it compares and contrasts Google's "Don't Be Evil" mantra, with the fact that they're providing censored search results. Comparitively, the Google blog provides their reasoning for entering the Chinese market in spite of having to offer a product that doesn't meet their standards and "isn't very good".
Anyways, I'm just interested in hearing other student opinions on the topic of search and censorship. It doesn't necessarily need to be applied in the Google.cn context I've used, but I'm just wondering out loud. Is it a smart business decision to filter results in order to gain access to a huge market? Is this a correct ethical decision? Will this all work itself out in the long term? Or will Google alienate avid users who gravitate to their anti-establishment-esque and users-first mission?
BTW, I know this isn't necessarily a "Microsoft Forum" topic, but I wasn't sure where else to start it. Does theSpoke have a general tech news discussion section?
Jordan Pavelich, Microsoft Student Ambassador
The University of Calgary
My site: http://giantsdrink.squarespace.com