As I See It: Betrayal - by Victor Rozek
Corporations find it hard to think of China as being populated by actual human beings. China is not viewed as a nation, or a people, or even a system of governance. Through corporate eyes, China is, first and foremost, an enormous market that is therefore populated by needs. Being a supplier of "needs" is problematic to the degree that it focuses on the object of the need and ignores the humanity of the needy. When commerce abandons conscience, market share trumps social impact, profits take precedence over scruples, then rules are bent and statutes are circumvented. The more repressive and unpredictable the regime, the greater the fear of losing access to the market and the higher the urgency to protect it by ingratiating yourself to the authorities.
Ingratiation, however, demands capitulation. But surrendering to the dictates of the dictators is a practice that frequently proves fatal for those who stand against the regime. Which brings us to Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, and other leading IT corporations which, in the name of protecting their access to the giant Chinese market, are implementing Chinese censorship demands thereby sending China's best and bravest to prison, likely to be tortured, and possibly to be killed.As a deterrent against unwanted intrusion, the Great Wall of China has been replaced by the Great Cyberwall. Constructed and maintained largely by American companies, the Cyberwall is designed to keep unwanted ideas from spreading. It is the most obscene of ironies that as we wage war in the name of democracy, a Chinese blogger who dares to type the word "democracy" can be identified by American-made software and reported to the Chinese government.
No comments:
Post a Comment