MPAA Boss Chris Dodd Then & Now Concerning Google Censorship In China
from the how-much-does-it-cost-to-get-an-ex-senator-to-sell-his-soul dept
Last week, we quoted ex-Senator now MPAA-boss, Chris Dodd making somewhat surprising comments suggesting that it's fine to force Google to censor the internet at home, because the Chinese government made Google censor its results in China. His specific quote:"When the Chinese told Google that they had to block sites or they couldn't do [business] in their country, they managed to figure out how to block sites."That's an interesting statement, because almost exactly four years ago, when Chris Dodd was still a Senator and was also an aspiring Presidential hopeful, he went and gave a talk at Google. He discussed many things over the course of an hour, with one key point being that, for the sake of greater internet freedom, Google should stand up to the Chinese and not allow such censorship:
Tell the Chinese government that Google.cn will no longer censor information with Google's consent. And should the Chinese government not find that acceptable, then Google.cn would shut down its operations. I understand that you've already moved all of your search records out of China, to prevent them from being turned over to the Chinese government. But what better way to affirm Google's commitment to the free flow of information as a human right, than to send this message to a nation with the largest population in the world?From there, he goes on to talk about refusing to hand over information to our own government without a warrant, followed up by this statement:
When Google acts, others will follow in my view. Standing up in these instances will not only be good for business ethics, but I also believe it will be good for business.Yet, when Google does stand up against censoring the internet today? The very same Chris Dodd says they're "accessories" to a robbery.
As Darwin said years ago, it's not the strongest of the species who survive, or even the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.Hey, Chris, perhaps it's time to look a bit at the MPAA, one of the organizations most resistant to change we've ever seen.
One way we respond to change, in my view, is to stand up, and to stand up for our principles, which do not change.Unless, of course, the MPAA hires you for a salary upwards of a million dollars. Then your principles go right out the window and your commitment to not censoring search results does a 180, and suddenly you're demanding that Google censor results at home, and highlighting the censorship in China as if it's a positive example.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: censorship, china, chris dodd, principles, us
Companies: mpaa
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: eejits!?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: eejits!?
The rest of us just rolled our eyes, knowing he couldn't get a raging clue even if it presented itself as a little boy kicking him square in the nuts.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
And that is my opinion simply put and the only thing I add is how I have boycotted on my own the MAFIAA for over 5 years now.I make sure I only buy used movies and I never buy nor will I ever buy any Artists who signs with the devil RIAA.
I do not use Netflix,Itunes,etc and I really make sure I only get used physical products.
I do not care any longer about seeing anything new that MPAA puts out.I can always find an Indie Film.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
http://dilbert.com/fast/1991-01-20/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
you gotta pay to see
I for one think that Mr. Dodd's principles do not, in fact, change. It just took some patient observation to find out what they actually are.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: you gotta pay to see
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: you gotta pay to see
Glad I didn't have a mouth full of food, it would have been sprayed everywhere.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"And another way...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Winds of Change...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The Winds of Change...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Its all about the Benjamins. Its always about the Benjamins.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
-ftfy
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
When the revolutions comes
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: When the revolutions comes
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: When the revolutions comes
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: When the revolutions comes
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hypocrite's words come back to bite him
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
YouTube
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Pretty slam dunk here.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
How about the ownership deed to Montana?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Oh god, laughing, can't breath, things going white around the edges ... I so needed that!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]