Campbell: Google’s Dilemma in China

A good number of people in the United States would say that Google is their search engine of… A good number of people in the United States would say that Google is their search engine of choice.

This, of course, puts Google in a position to influence the shape of our Internet activities.

It helps us find information, organize our e-mail and navigate through our documents.

One of the main reasons for this influence has been the openness with which Google claims to operate: according to the Google Code of Conduct, “Don’t be evil” is its unofficial motto.

Google had a bit of a dilemma, however, when it decided to make a sweeping business choice and provide search features to China, a country known for restricting access to Internet information the government deems unsavory.

The response of Google’s decision to go into China, along with its requisite decision to abide by Chinese filter and censorship laws, was understandably mixed.

Some praised Google for going after the millions of new customers China provided. Others simply pointed out that complacence with censorship was seemingly at odds with Google’s previously professed ideals.

And then came an even bigger problem: Google was hacked.

When Google discovered that it was hacked, the company was obviously angry, and the AP reported that Google is “no longer willing to continue censoring results on Google.com.”

Google even went so far as to threaten a complete pullout of the Chinese market, according to Reuters.

Many have praised this decision unequivocally. In fact, according to the AP, Google was receiving an “avalanche of praise” because of its seemingly tough exclamation that it would no longer filter search results and was considering leaving the Chinese market altogether.

Not so fast, though. Both Google and the Chinese government are downplaying Google’s announcement of an imminent pullout.

The Reuter’s article, aptly named “Google denies leaving China, seeks negotiations,” reported that Google would “try to negotiate a legal unfiltered search engine.” During these negotiations, the Associated Press article notes, Google continues to provide its services to the Chinese market with all previous filters in place.

So what’s next for Google?

Reuters notes that the Chinese government has appeared open to negotiations but is adamant that Google will have to abide by Chinese laws as they currently stand.

This assertion would make it appear that Google’s true ability to negotiate is rather small and that it must continue to censor if it is to continue offering products to the Chinese market.

Leaving the Chinese market would hurt Google’s bottom line, as the company would lose a significant market share and the business opportunities that accompany it.

If Google decides to negotiate and ultimately is able to stay with any sort of filters in place, Google’s proponents may turn to critics.

They may see Google’s failure to leave the country in protest as an abandonment of Google’s list of ideals.

Google, for its lot, could see idealistic benefit in both leaving and staying. Google’s entrenchment in the Chinese market provides access to information for China’s many Internet users that would not be available otherwise.

According to The New York Times, Google leaving the Chinese market would be seen as disastrous to many of Google’s Chinese customers.

“How am I going to live without Google?” a businessman interviewed in the article said.

Conversely, the article points out that if Google were to leave, it might have a beneficial impact on the Chinese censorship debate, raising awareness and indignation within China over the Chinese government’s policies.

So what is Google to do? It would seem that Google has gotten itself in a unfavorable position, wherein its decision to leave would reduce its customer base, but its decision to stay would undoubtedly involve some complacence in censorship — angering its customers elsewhere.

Google’s decision will most likely hinge upon the negotiations underway with the Chinese government.

Google might be able to find a balance of loosened, yet still present, censorship that appeases all parties.

It better find it fast, though. Every day Google negotiates while continuing to censor will continue to, as the Associated Press aptly puts it, “anger those who are now showering the company with praise.”