Google’s Free Speech.

So Google today is standing firm in their resistance to a request by the government to turn over search info on adult-oriented search trends. Basically, the feds want to see what we are looking for to help better serve the Child Protection Act, a noble goal.

Google however, says no, not gonna’ happen. We don’t want people even starting to think we would ever betray our loyal followers by giving up personal info to the man. Yea for Google!

It’s bullshit though.

Everyone that is high-fiving themselves and Google for taking a stand needs to instead smack themselves. Because Google also says it wants to protect it’s proprietary search process. I believe that before I see them supporting the First Amendment.

For as much as their actions appear to protect our free speech, where was their concern when they expanded into China, and helped the government there stifle free speech by taking out any references to the Tiananmen square massacre from their database?

And Google’s response was this: that it’s not just Google that has to filter content, others like Microsoft have to too. It’s just a simple respect for local and state regulations and customs. A cost of doing business.

Sweet!

Since when did making human rights violations and being able to research info about it disappear become the ‘cost of doing business?’ Stand up for us here in America, but screw the Chinese people. I get it now.

Especially since they’ve already shown they’re all about the money when it comes to China. When will a brand take a stand and have it mean something. Not the shallow gesture they are making by sticking it to the man today.

As a search engine where your primary product is information, free information at that, this would have been a perfect thing to promote. Coke couldn't have done it. McDonald’s, Walmart and Subway couldn’t have either.

Google had the chance to make history and every ad blog in the world by taking a stand. Except China of course. They don’t have blogs. Just kidding! Of course they do. Government-approved blogs. One Template. One Masthead. One World.

Know how much free advertising that would’ve been for them? I’m still up on the melodramatic soapbox here, but all they had to do was tell China simply, “No. We filter nothing. Take it or leave it.” Their freakin’ stock is at something like $14,000! They could bail out Ford for cryin’ out loud. I think you could afford to take the heat and take a stand.

Instead, they came off as the opposite of the very thing they pretend to be today: a brand actually worried about it’s consumers – all its consumers.