Google’s latest attempt to push back against web censorship in mainland China is a little puzzling. I’m not sure what they’re going for with this move, but I guess at least KNOWING you’re being censored is a good thing. Maybe?? I don’t know if Chinese and Hong Kong-ese customers will really care. The article indicates probably not, which I tend to agree with. And will this move the needle at all in terms of China’s future usage of the Google search engine? Or for that matter, other Google products.

So where does that put this new feature if you can call it, in terms of helping Google’s future opportunities in China?  Google’s previous decision that I discussed in my blog a few years back seemed so focused on maintaining a healthy balance between corporate responsibility and future business revenue/growth.  I got that. But now what I characterized as a “showdown” appears to have ratcheted up to something more akin to a battle for the moral high ground. And Google can’t really win that, considering it’s a business in the business of making money.