Google and Censorship In China

I just read a great New York Times Magazine article on the subject of censorship in China and how internet companies are working through this complex issue. The author, Clive Thompson, a NY Times contributing author interviews the major Chinese players in search and also muses extensively on the technical and social workings of censorship in China.

I suppose that, as an employee of Google (or a contractor at least), I am potentially biased. (I also can't comment on any internal stuff and only hope I can post about stuff that's entered the public domain without breaking the strictures of non-disclosure agreements.) I think its a great article. Thompson focuses on the actual workings of China's internet market and information consumers and does so in a way that leaves me with impression that Google has made the right choice. Engagement in the Chinese market is better than no engagement at all.

It broaches the topic of censorship, how it works, and what it means to accomodate, self-censor, and fight for change. This is a good discussion to have and much more productive than calling Google a lackey of the Chinese government, or comparable to Nazi collaborators. Thompson quotes Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican who, during the recent congressional hearings, asks "[s]o if this Congress wanted to learn how to censor, we'd go to you." The answer is, of course, yes. Not how to censor but how to work within a regime of censorship. Its a critical distinction, and one I hope more people focus on.