Google founder infers they were evil

Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin, has acknowledged that his company has compromised its principles by accommodating Chinese censorship demands. Google's corporate motto is "don't be evil".

Sergey Brin one of the key helmsmen in charge of Google, the most dominent search engine in the world, said Google is wrestling to make the Chinese deal work before deciding whether to steer an alternative course.

At a meeting with reporters near Capitol Hill in Washington, Brin said Google had agreed to the censorship demands only after Chinese authorities blocked its service in that country.Google's rivals accommodated the same demands - which Brin described as "a set of rules that we weren't comfortable with" - without any prompting or from fear of international criticism, he went on to say.

"We felt that perhaps we could compromise our principles but provide ultimately more information for the Chinese and be a more effective service and perhaps make more of a difference,"

I personnally believe any Google is better than no Google in China - the world knows the "tank man" - the Chinese have had that image erased. So now there is a need for creeping subtlety.

Like the fabled man with the finger in dyke one can not stand for ever plugging holes. As the pressure builds and China opens up, as it must do - not the least for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there is a need for creeping subtlety. In this case any Google is better than no Google in China. So I think Brin was right in his first call to accomodate censorship demands.

The world can still see and remembers the "tank man" image - the Chinese have had that image erased from their own public - or have they?