Don’t Be Evil

In the competitive world of international corporations, a motto like “Don’t be evil” can be hard to stand by. Remarkably, Google has managed to succeed in its efforts to be good by threatening to withdraw operations from China due to concerns over the Chinese government’s policy of internet censorship.

On Jan. 12, Google reported evidence of efforts to hack into the accounts of many users associated with human rights groups. Citing the fact that the attacks were traced to Chinese sources, Google announced that it would no longer honor its agreement with the Chinese government to filter sites from its search engine and was even prepared to leave its offices in China.

That Google would even consider pulling out of a burgeoning and potentially very lucrative market out of moral concerns is impressive in many respects. Although Google’s 30.1 percent share of the Chinese search engine market is relatively paltry compared to the 63.9 percent share held by China’s homegrown Baidu, withdrawing from the country altogether represents a very serious business decision for the company.

As a large and highly visible multinational corporation, Google has set an admirable example by risking financial loss in order to fulfill what it sees as its moral responsibilities. We hope that other major U.S. corporations in China—such as Microsoft, which has so far commented negatively on Google’s decision—will consider following Google’s lead.

Google’s stand marks an interesting development in U.S.-China relations. It is rather difficult for the U.S. government to criticize the actions of another government, especially one with which it seeks to build important economic relationships. Moreover, reprimanding the Chinese government for violating human rights comes off as high-handed and hypocritical given the deplorable treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib. By acting independently and without any association with the U.S. government, Google was able to make a very effective statement without any sort of political baggage.

Of course, nobody expects China to suddenly see the error of its ways and liberalize completely just because Google decides to check out. Yet there may still be tangible ways in which Google’s departure could make a big impact on Chinese society. It is all too easy to underestimate how much Chinese citizens actually know about the doings of their government, and Google’s disagreement with internet censorship will not go unnoticed, even if government officials continue to insist that there is open internet in China. Google’s actions therefore could help bolster human rights causes in China by bringing such issues to the forefront of people’s minds.

Moreover, from an economic standpoint, should Google be forced to leave China, its departure may raise discontent among Chinese consumers who desire Google products and cause them to direct their anger at the government for driving the company away. Such a development would not necessarily cause monumental change in the government’s policies, but it would be a step in the right direction.

At the very least, the enormous media coverage and popular discussion generated by the Google-China dispute is in itself doing a good thing by drawing attention to human rights issues in China. China’s disrespect for human rights clearly isn’t a concern that will be swept under the rug any time soon.