New MySpace China Tells Users to Spy on Each Other

nobodythere

I'll be back later to post my own views on this, just want to get some discussion going. Didn't know myspace was owned by Murdoch.

I cancelled my MySpace account over this.

"MySpace has launched in China, the world's most populous nation, but this definitely is NOT the MySpace you're used to. Members are told to click a button to report any 'misconduct' by other users. MySpace's definition of 'misconduct' includes actions such as 'endangering national security, leaking state secrets, subverting the government, undermining national unity, spreading rumors or disturbing the social order' — according to the site's terms and conditions. In China these are all crimes which carry a hefty prison sentence. Any attempt to post content containing phrases that the Chinese government doesn't like, such as 'Taiwanese independence', the banned 'FaLun' religious movement or the Dalai Lama, produces the following message. 'Sorry, the article you want to publish may contain inappropriate content. Please delete the unsuitable content, and then try reposting it. Thank you.'"

Source: http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/04/28/0650249.shtml

dicebar

Hmmm, was thinking about setting up a myspace so thanks for the info - my only worry was i'd spend too much time on it, now this too!

Not surprising I suppose in light of other agreements companies have made with the Chinese government on censorship.

Google held out for a while but eventually caved and made a deal to get into the market in China and now comply with censorship regulations just as Yahoo do, shame on them for not pressurising the government to change.

It is at the stage where many technology companies in particular are not just turning a blind eye but are collaborating with the government. So much for advances in corporate responibility, shades of IBM's history.

I still use google and yahoo though, so I probably shouldn't use these services I feel. What to do?

Who's up for giving google an earful at their european headquarters in Dublin?

nobodythere

Yes unfortunately we've allowed google to become something so massive that if they start making moves in the wrong direction they'd have a lot of power.

Google isn't as simple a case though. Google is the only search engine in China that tells the user if search results have been filtered and has some tricks to find out how many results have been filtered. In a way it's a step up from what they've been getting in China, but who's to say that that was Google's motive. Actually in interesting google news:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/05/02/google-urges-censorship_1.html
See the proposal here: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312507073756/ddef14a.htm

I guess that answers the question

dicebar

WOwza, saw page 30 & 31.

Great that those shareholders brought forward those proposals about censorship and not just regarding China. Good on those bunch of shareholders.

Unfortunately the board of directors decided to act in the best interests of the company it would seem for the sake of market dominance encouraging their sharholders to comply with China's demands. Is this the whole a 'corporate body acting in the best interests of itself' thing which is natural for any business.

Re Schmidt's comments: "even worse to not try to serve those users" - well surely they have search engines already without google.

May 10th is the decision time, will be on the lookout for it. Wonder if there will be much international media coverage or even here.

I was a little confused by the bit on whether Google are breaking UN law by co-operating with foreign governments, or whether there is proper legislation in place for that?

Google is getting dirty.

nobodythere

Well if the UN were ever to go target Google for that they'd be criticised for not targeting the actualy country that was the problem.

Well it's a definite no unfortunately, the 3 google heads own 66% and they all

I have to laugh at Schmidt's wording: "We actually did an evil scale and decided not to serve at all was worse evil." Can you imagine all the execs sitting in the office telling themselves that they're doing the right thing, looking at their "evil graphs" and "evil charts", patting each other on the back.

I guess their true colours are showing, it's CLEARLY against their company motto ("Don't be evil"). Further reading re Google's hypocrisy here: http://www.socialfunds.com/news/release.cgi/7272.html