In many circles, easy access and the free flow of information are among the attractions of the Internet. In other places, those attributes are cause for concern. China certainly falls into the latter camp.
China, like all the world’s major powers, has a vested interest in new technology and the role it plays in promoting economic growth. But unlike most world powers, China also has a strong interest in controlling – as best it can – what is available to its citizens on the Internet and other forms of new media. Given the latter, it is hardly surprising that China plans to create a government-controlled search engine.
From the government’s point of view, such a project is doubly beneficial. It will provide an opportunity to tighten control over both the Internet and what is the world’s most expansive mobile phone network. Successful completion of the project also could reduce the presence of the private, foreign-owned providers that now provide many technology services to the country. That, in turn, could bring billions in revenue to the government.
It’s difficult to say which would please Chinese leaders more. They certainly wouldn’t mind the money a successful network is likely to produce. But they no doubt would be pleased, too, if the government-owned search engine ultimately provides a way to institute tighter control and more strict oversight of China’s more than 420 million Internet users and 800 million mobile phone subscribers.
Whatever the truth behind the decision to undertake the massive search engine project, one thing is certain. While China’s leaders have demonstrated an acute interest in promoting economic growth, they’ve also made it very clear that they would like to continue to keep Internet firms on a short leash and to censor what the government considers to be dangerous, seditious or sensitive Web content. Its contentious relationship with Google is evidence of the latter.
Google now runs its Chinese-language search engine from Hong Kong, though it remains accessible in China. The U.S. company shuttered its mainland search engine last winter, citing government censorship as the reason. Google and similar companies opposed to censorship obviously irritate Chinese leaders. A government-controlled search engine would significantly reduce or remove the irritant.
The larger issue is whether it would squelch, or just enhance, its peoples’ itch to reach beyond censorship. Human nature suggests the latter. Innovation and prosperity do not go hand-in-hand with mind control.