Google claims that its users will prefer limited access to content to no access. The new Google.cn will include notes at the bottom of results pages that disclose when content has been removed. Senior policy council Andrew McLaughlin has publicly pronounced the company's desire to comply with the Chinese government's regulations, adding "In deciding how best to approach the Chinese - or any - market, we must balance our commitments to satisfy the interest of users, expand access to information and respond to local conditions." Google's actions seem to be in keeping with the previous precedent set by American tech companies operating in China: Like Google, both MSN and Yahoo have come under attack by bloggers and human rights activists alike for censoring the Chinese versions of their sites, including blog tools and email services.



Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an international human rights organization, argues that Google's revised search engine is "making it easier for Chinese officials to filter the internet themselves," and called the company's actions immoral. A handful of American politicians have also jumped into the fray,  threatening to pass laws restricting US companies from cooperating with the Chinese government on censorship.



What do you think? Are Google and the other tech companies operating in China right in taking a "when in Rome" approach to censorship? Or are they missing out on a crucial opportunity to protect the free Internet abroad?



For more information, see Silicon.com's article "Google Slammed for Censoring Chinese Sites."