To Google or not to Google?

That is the question.

Google has been irritating to me for awhile now. I've noticed they change their logo for most holidays but won't mention Christmas or Easter.

Now, they refuse to give information regarding search results, to the U.S. government. Some are thinking this is about protecting users privacy rights but that isn't really the case.

In Case About Google's Secrets, Yours Are Safe

Other Internet search engine companies, including Yahoo, America Online and MSN, have complied with the same Justice Department subpoena, which also sought a random sample of a million Web addresses. The companies all said there were no privacy issues involved.

A Justice Department spokesman, Brian Roehrkasse, agreed. "We specifically stated in our requests," he said, "that we did not want the names, or any other information, regarding the users of Google."

[...]

The government says it needs Google's information to defend a challenge from the civil liberties union to a 1998 law, the Child Online Protection Act, which makes it a crime to make "material that is harmful to minors" commercially available on the Web. The law was enjoined by a federal court in Philadelphia before it became effective, and it has never been enforced.

So "stand up" to the U.S. Government, which obviously gets good press, but apparently, bend over for the Chinese government. How sweet of them.

From Kudlow's Money Politic$

Google Heading to Washington

...The high-flying Internet stock is launching a version of its website that blocks specific search results like “Tiananmen Square” and “Taiwan,” in an effort to avoid ruffling the feathers of China’s Communist head-honchos.

And of course because of that:

Google Pulls Official Censorship Statement

I’m still amazed that the Google who has now had to take down their “we don’t censor” message because it just isn’t true any more is the same company that just a week or so back stood up to a U.S. Government request for their search records. I still think Google got it right when they refused to comply with that federal subpoena. I just wish they’d been consistent with China.

Due to this and other companies bending over for the Chinese government a new blog has been started to track such monkey business.

CHINA SYNDROME is a new PJ Media blog set up to track the way foreign businesses like Google and Microsoft suck up to China.

For my part, I am removing Google Ads and Google search from my blog.

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Previous posts:

Google - taking lessons from cBS
Is Google homophobic?

Be sure to also check out these blogs:

Jo's Cafe has a Weekend Specials open post
Mudville Gazette has an open post
bRight & Early has an Overnight News Open Post

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