Recently I came across an article that talked about the battle between Google inc. and the Chinese government. The subject of the argument is whether or not Google is willing to offer their services to a nation who’s government filters the information that it’s citizens are allowed to have access to.
In my opinion, the decision that Google must make is between a good business decision, and a decision that align with their ethics as a company. While to some companies the bottom line is king, others may take a financial hit in order to stand up for what they believe in. This is the decision that Google is faced with. While they do not support the filtration of information to Chinese citizens, the Chinese also have a very large population, and are considered one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world, thus making them hugely valued customers to any company that is trying to sell a technological service or product, not to mention the juggernaut that is Google. So again, the question is, are the folks at Google willing to take the considerable financial hit that pulling business from China would render in order to make a stand for their ideologies?
This being said, I do not believe that it is the place of Google to impose their values on the Chinese. While the people at Google do not agree with China’s practice of information filtration, it is not the place of Google to interfere with the ideals of the Chinese government. In fact, the only reasonable way for Google to show their disapproval toward this practice is to simply stop offering their services to the Chinese. This is because pulling business from the Chinese shows their disapproval without imposing their values on the Chinese government.
