As of today, it's official. Google's "Don't Be Evil" motto has withered in the face of China's opposition against maintaining any type of human rights within the Middle Kingdom's borders.
Today Google announced the Chinese version of their search page, which promises to censor any reference to obscenities like democracy, porn, and human rights. In addition Google have decided not to introduce Blogger and Gmail in China, just to avoid finding itself in the position of having to hand over personal data to the Chinese government.
Microsoft and Yahoo had already succumbed to similar Chinese pressure by censoring search results and even by handing over independent-minded journalists to their jailers respectively, but let's face it - these two companies never plastered the frickin' motto all over their Investor Relations pages.
Google did, and it just turned out to be an empty promise in the face of 'political realities'. Makes you wonder if Google will grant future Chinese requests for search data, or if they'll stand fast like they did against the US government's recent porn fishing expedition.
My advice: don't hold your breath.
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