The freedom of the internet is coming under a lot of pressure lately. Google's Orkut seems to be a haven for child pornographers and drug dealers in Brazil. The Federal government suggests Google deliver user information in 21 days. Censorship of search results delivered in China is the norm for Google, Yahoo! and MSN.
The question really is how much freedom should there be. We have freedom of speech but cannot yell 'fire' in a crowded theater. Child pornographers should not be protected by such freedom.
If the Chinese government can determine what gets seen by searchers in their country, the same should be available to fight serious crime. I understand Google does not want its information shared - the possibility of it somehow getting into its competitors' hands is more their concern than the privacy issues they are using to argue not handing over the data.
This global village needs a realistic view of what freedoms it is entitled to. I will glaldy allow my information to be given to the government if it helps stop terrorism or criminal acts against children etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment