China has always been a leader in the technological age. Many companies owned by Americans and Europeans have been outsourcing their factories to China for many years now. While they may be creating many of our products, a growing number of people are finding the opportunity in selling products back to the people who made them. This is due to the actions taken by the Chinese government in censoring google for its citizens. Not only is this a very controversial subject, but it now is decreasing their revenue. Some enterprising individuals have been buying unlocked iphones in the US and shipping them back to china to be resold, for presumably a higher price. In doing so they are taking money away from China with the products that they themselves manufactured. China’s censorship of the iphone was not one hundred percent successful, with the iphone 3GS, one can effectively use the maps application to see the maps presented to America and Europe. The new iphone 4 does not allow this in, or outside of their borders. One of the reasons for this, is because the regions format setting is ignored, sending internet searches directly to Chinese servers. China has also recently give licenses to 31 server providers, allowing them to create internet maps, however, Google was not among them.
There are not many upsides to censoring maps so your citizens cannot see anything other than what they are told by their government. This is allowing the Chinese government create propaganda against whoever they want without the threat of the people learning otherwise. While is does force some citizens to purchase unlocked iphones from American entrepreneurs, helping our GDP, it is still a very controversial topic.
In censoring the iphone, China is only creating problems for their government. With a steady stream of unlocked iphone flowing back into china, citizens will have the ability to access uncensored maps. I believe that those who are able to see these maps will begin to question their own government as to what else they are keeping from the general public. There is also the factor of international relations that China will eventually run into. The iphone is also growing much more popular among business men and women, especially those who travel internationally. If people with censored iphones leave the country, the phones will still be running through China’s servers and could provoke questions as to why the chinese version is so different. Google maps is a tool created to aid people, the only thing China is doing is crippling that.
In the end i believe that the censoring of google maps is almost completely a negative decision for China. It may create an opportunity for some to prosper but i believe that the withholding of information from China’s citizens will not aid the country in anyway. China has already censored googles search feature for its citizens, and the result sparked a lot of debate amongst other countries, and the threat of Google completely pulling out of China.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227500894&subSection=Hardware
1 comment:
I have always found it to be an incredibly interesting paradox that exists in China today. While the country itself manufactures and sells some of the most sophisticated technology of our time, its citizens cannot take full advantage of these new IT innovations. In recent months, Google and China have had an increasingly tumultuous relationship resulting from the censorship that China places on its technological joint ventures and partnerships. Google is known for essentially uncensored and unlimited web searching abilities, but in China its queries are limited to what the Chinese government will allow their people to see. For example, if someone in China tries to search the term “Tiananmen Square” Google will not be able to retrieve data regarding that major event in Chinese history because it portrays the Chinese government in a negative light. This has caused major conflicts for not only Google, but also for other companies who butt heads against the controlling bodies of the Chinese government. Censorship, redirecting of data, and ridiculous requirements (like censorship software automatically installed in new computers), goes directly against the very fundamental mission of the Internet: the freedom and accessibility of information (Source 1). Some companies such as Apple and Google have attempted to stand up against Chinese policies, thus far to no avail. China’s policies regarding to the Internet connect to the concept of net neutrality (or Internet neutrality), where information can be spread around the Internet without being rerouted, slowed down, or given priority over other information. Unfortunately, denying neutrality and freedom of information within China is causing major issues for external companies and countries. China may wish to control what its population can see and download, but that may just be transferring the frustration from within the nation to other companies who wish to conduct business with China.
Sources:
1.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/13/AR2010011302908.html
Post a Comment