Danelle Post #5

From a business perspective, it is very wise for Google to enter the market for Internet search in China due its rapidly growing online community. By doing so they stand to increase their market share, revenue and profits and ultimately remain the dominant search engine provider. The one drawback to entering this market, which is my argument for not entering, is the company would have to compromise its core values by collaborating in censorship, potentially hurting the brand name elsewhere in the world.

From an ethical perspective, to not enter China would be to deny Chinese users access to the high level of quality information available via Google, even if some of that content is censored.
On the other hand, if forced to give the Chinese government the names of dissenters, the company may be violating its 'do no evil' principle

I think Google should enter China even if they have to censor some of their search results. The amount of information that it will make available will still be an overall positive for the Chinese people. To mitigate negative impact, the company should take a stand on delivering the names of known dissenters to the government. The company should stand firm on that issue and in doing so it will help maintain their brand integrity as well as not compromise their values.

Knowing the particulars of Google and China's controversial relationship makes me a little apprehensive about conducting an Internet search of any kind while I am in China. Although I have no intention of searching for any information or content that may be considered "unhealthy" or "inappropriate", I think it would be in my best interest to not take any chances. In general, I think it would be wisest, especially since this is my first time visiting China, to avoid any activity that gives me reason to question whether or not I have violated a law.