Microsoft Censors Blogs
Microsoft is teaming up with the Chinese government to ensure that the Chinese population never sees blog entries mentioning "human rights" or "Taiwan independence" among other sensitive words. MSN Spaces in China, which is operated as a joint venture with the Chinese government backed Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd., pops-up a warning message that reads:
when users post entries using banned words. Shanghai Alliance Investment is run by Jiang Mianheng, a son of former President Jiang Zemin.
Microsoft isn't the first large American company to capitulate to the demands of the Chinese government. Microsoft joins Yahoo and Google in this regard. This is part of Chinese government's efforts to curtail the freedom of their bloggers. The government has given bloggers until June 30th to register their blogs, after which date, unregistered blogs will be shut down. These large companies frequently site compliance with local laws as the excuse for capitulating to the Chinese government. A totally lame excuse when you think about it, as the excuse could similarly be used to curtail freedoms in the Middle East and other backward regimes. If South Africa for instance was still a state under apartheid, would Microsoft and their ilk help the regime in curtailing the freedoms of its citizens? Probably. This is no different from other companies in other industries that have cozy relationships with other regimes, while they practice the new form of imperialism -- raping and pillaging with wanton disregard for the backs its building its profits on.
China represents such a huge market, with untapped potential, that Bill Gates would kiss Chairman Mao's ass if he had to, to gain a toe hold. And so much for Google's "do no evil" -- apparently, evil committed against the Chinese isn't really evil.
"This message contains a banned expression, please delete this expression."
when users post entries using banned words. Shanghai Alliance Investment is run by Jiang Mianheng, a son of former President Jiang Zemin.
Microsoft isn't the first large American company to capitulate to the demands of the Chinese government. Microsoft joins Yahoo and Google in this regard. This is part of Chinese government's efforts to curtail the freedom of their bloggers. The government has given bloggers until June 30th to register their blogs, after which date, unregistered blogs will be shut down. These large companies frequently site compliance with local laws as the excuse for capitulating to the Chinese government. A totally lame excuse when you think about it, as the excuse could similarly be used to curtail freedoms in the Middle East and other backward regimes. If South Africa for instance was still a state under apartheid, would Microsoft and their ilk help the regime in curtailing the freedoms of its citizens? Probably. This is no different from other companies in other industries that have cozy relationships with other regimes, while they practice the new form of imperialism -- raping and pillaging with wanton disregard for the backs its building its profits on.
China represents such a huge market, with untapped potential, that Bill Gates would kiss Chairman Mao's ass if he had to, to gain a toe hold. And so much for Google's "do no evil" -- apparently, evil committed against the Chinese isn't really evil.
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