Microsoft Bans Freedom Words in China
I lived and worked in China and I respected Chinese rules. My two current Chinese based startup companies respect Chinese rules. Any business anywhere must follow the local rules, both laws and customs, in order to be successful.
When you are a guest in someone''s house it is common courtesy to obey the house rules. If you don't like the rules then you shouldn't visit. If you don't follow the rules you may be asked to leave. My five year old understands this and so does Microsoft.
Microsoft's recent decision to ban the word 'democracy' and other politically sensitive words by bloggers on its new Web portal in China is respecting China's "house rules." If Microsoft found the rules to be unethical or too onerous they wouldn't be there. This is their decision to make and different companies are free to make their own decisions.
China holds huge business potential. To do business in China one must play by the Chinese rules. Microsoft is a for-profit business and while this is not a carte blanche to make purely profit driven decisions, they are doing nothing immoral and not breaking any US or Chinese laws. Microsoft is not banning the words themselves, and Chinese bloggers can certainly use them on many other sites. One could also argue that the mere presence of Microsoft and other US companies is a positive force in China.
China is rapidly evolving from a totalitarian state to a wide open and free country. It is not Microsoft's or anyone else's place in the world to force US ideals and morals on China. Let them evolve at their own pace and in their own way. If where they end up differs from American style democracy and freedom, then so be it. It is their country, not ours.
As the Chinese curse says, "May you live in interesting times." The Chinese are both cursed by rapid change and blessed by enormous promise and potential. How they manage it is their business.
When you are a guest in someone''s house it is common courtesy to obey the house rules. If you don't like the rules then you shouldn't visit. If you don't follow the rules you may be asked to leave. My five year old understands this and so does Microsoft.
Microsoft's recent decision to ban the word 'democracy' and other politically sensitive words by bloggers on its new Web portal in China is respecting China's "house rules." If Microsoft found the rules to be unethical or too onerous they wouldn't be there. This is their decision to make and different companies are free to make their own decisions.
China holds huge business potential. To do business in China one must play by the Chinese rules. Microsoft is a for-profit business and while this is not a carte blanche to make purely profit driven decisions, they are doing nothing immoral and not breaking any US or Chinese laws. Microsoft is not banning the words themselves, and Chinese bloggers can certainly use them on many other sites. One could also argue that the mere presence of Microsoft and other US companies is a positive force in China.
China is rapidly evolving from a totalitarian state to a wide open and free country. It is not Microsoft's or anyone else's place in the world to force US ideals and morals on China. Let them evolve at their own pace and in their own way. If where they end up differs from American style democracy and freedom, then so be it. It is their country, not ours.
As the Chinese curse says, "May you live in interesting times." The Chinese are both cursed by rapid change and blessed by enormous promise and potential. How they manage it is their business.
posted by Ted Demopoulos at 11:33 PM
Comments on "Microsoft Bans Freedom Words in China"
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Rick Kincaid said ... (Tuesday, June 21, 2005 9:26:00 PM) :
post a commentI completely agree with you. It's not Microsoft's job to impose our way of life on other countries. That's what we have our administration for. And certainly if we expect Microsoft or anyone else to not do business with China, we'd have to stop buying all our crap from Walmart!