Google CEO: Internet's Role in Freedom Still Expanding

[engine]

The Internet has an ever-growing role to play in allowing free expression across the globe -- but only if attempts to reign it in are unsuccessful, Google Inc. Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt said yesterday.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., Schmidt warned his audience that the Internet will continue to create public policy challenges as its second billion users move online. One reaction to a perceived loss of privacy and to new Internet users questioning repressive governments will be to clamp down on information, he said.

Google CEO: Internet's role in freedom still expanding [computerworld.com]

[amznVibe]

Wait, what? This is from the head of the company that censored itself for China?

Is this a "somebody please stop us from becoming (more) evil" plea?

No one made them do business in China - they should have said, no we won't censor.

They also seem to censor their maps worldwide at the drop of a hat too.

[edited by: amznVibe at 7:27 pm (utc) on Feb. 7, 2007]

[hannamyluv]

but only if attempts to reign it in are unsuccessful

"... But we will help reign it in if it makes us an extra buck."

[AhmedF]

The actual point by the parent poster / Google is very valid.

If you are going to whine about a company taking a hypocritical view, you may whine about every single F500 company.

[coldfused]

All Google is trying to say/do is to keep the internet as free as possible, for as long as possible, so they can make as much money as possible.

Let's not fool ourselves.

I'm sure somewhere down the line some positive things will come if enough big companies "fight the good fight", but again there is always, always, an underlining motive behind everthing.

[kaled]

They also seem to censor their maps worldwide at the drop of a hat too.

There were security concerns when Google maps first appeared. In the current terrorist climate, many governments were unhappy about military bases, airports, etc. being included. I presume those concerns have been largely addressed by now, but having just checked, I see that high-definition satellite images of Heathrow Airport are available - personally, I don't think they should be.

Kaled.

[fraudcop]

Google has only created a cast of inamovible sites (one with about 200 million urls listed) clogging the entire web and taking all the web resources away from the others and so killing any possibility of alternance .

[walkman]

I know it sounds ironic, but they had no choice, in China especially since other companies have already bowed to China. Life is not fair.

[edited by: walkman at 2:58 am (utc) on Feb. 8, 2007]

[BillyS]

Isn't this the same company that wants the word Google only to be used certain ways?

[Rlilly]

Freedom would be allowing the "FAIR USE" of a trademark in Adwords when a the trademark owner has a brand name monopoly. Google policy by proxy is supporting the anti-competitive nature of these large corportations by taking there money and hidding valuable ads from viewers.

It is prepostourous that Google and Yahoo do not allow you to say "compatible with .....", "compare to ....", "Same size as...", "equivelant of ..." when in fact the product you are advertising is that exactly but not allowed to.

[hannamyluv]

you may whine about every single F500 company

Let's be honest. How often do F500 companies chide the world for their behaviors and forcast doom and gloom while helping to contribute to it? It's like the CEO of Exxon telling a group of people how oil will bring us all down.

They can do what they did in China, it is their preogative as a company. But please spare me the "white knight" routine. If they were so concerned about it than they should not have helped contribute to the problem. Otherwise, they need to keep their mouth shut on the subject.