GOOGLE’S CHINA FILTERING DRAWS FIRE

The group Reporters Without Borders is blasting search engine leader Google for its supposed complicity in government censorship, requesting that the popular Web tool provider pull its news service that excludes content not approved by the Chinese government. The group, which has been critical of content and technology providers including Yahoo, Google and Cisco, argues that the censored Internet resources and tools to produce them are unethical and socially irresponsible. However, observers such as Frost & Sullivan senior analyst Mukul Krishna argue that such companies — eager to tap foreign, fertile markets — have little choice but to work within government guidelines. Krishna also told TechNewsWorld that it was better to give Internet users in China some exposure, even if it is censored, to the Internet. “Just as a business decision, you have to do it,” Krishna said. “Over a period of time, even from a social perspective, you are giving these people exposure. The fact that those people are getting exposure to other things happening in the world is a good thing.” Source: www.technewsworld.com/story/38573.html?u=emmasmith&p=ENNSS_1c75404dcfb5e6e3449e8b9dfde4c488