NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Empowering Evil Through Search and Surveillance: Why Corporate Ethics Matter
Empowering Evil Through Search and Surveillance: Why Corporate Ethics Matter
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000877.html
Here in the U.S., we've just celebrated our Fourth of July holiday --
Independence Day. It's actually rather complex in nature, a
celebration not only of revolution and independence, but also of our
foundational documents, the Constitution and the first ten amendments
to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.
These are remarkable written works from many standpoints. We have not
always been true to their ideals. But the men who wrote them were
able to create proclamations that have remained relevant for almost
two and half centuries, through our evolution from agrarian society to
a technological nation beyond the wildest imaginations of virtually
anyone living at the time (except, perhaps, my personal hero, Benjamin
Franklin!)
The Bill of Rights and Constitution together suggest an ethical path
for this country, but no documents, no laws, can successfully
legislate ethics or morality. We can ban government interference in
free speech, as does the First Amendment, but we cannot assure that
freedoms will be wisely used. This is in the nature of laws, men, and
women throughout history.
Still, it's difficult not to feel disappointed when our ideals are
subverted for commercial gain, and during this past holiday two
examples of this were thrust into the media.
As I criticized yesterday, Microsoft has now formally partnered with
Chinese search giant Baidu to provide Chinese government-censored
English language search results in China ( http://j.mp/kYyGO2
[Lauren's Blog] ).
And now comes word that Cisco will be providing the networking gear
for a massive Chinese surveillance system, that will almost certainly
be used primarily to target political dissent. Perhaps most alarming
in this case is the reaction of Cisco to questions about the ethics of
the contract. "It's not my job to really understand what they're
going to use it for," was the reaction of Cisco's executive VP in
charge of their China strategy.
I know I'm not the only observer invoking the lyrics of the great
satirist Tom Lehrer regarding Wernher von Braun in this context:
"'Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not
my department', says Wernher von Braun." Nor am I the only one who
remembers the dark history of IBM's involvement with Nazi Germany in
the name of technology sales bottom lines ( http://j.mp/j3JX7O [CNET] ).
A common meme is that corporations are amoral, unconcerned with
ethics, uninterested in anything but maximizing profits. This is
sadly often true, but certainly is not always the case.
Yes, questions of ethics and business are complex, and different
situations may be easily confused.
For example, if a company chooses to do business in a particular
country, they must obey that country's laws. They can challenge what
they don't feel is appropriate, but ultimately if they don't obey the
laws they will very likely be subjected to sanctions of some sort,
civil and/or even criminal in nature. And they may be denied access
to those countries entirely.
Yet companies can also choose not to extend their products and
services into countries where laws and government actions are
obviously in conflict with our own ethical considerations. Firms can
choose ethics over profits, if they care enough about the former, not
just the latter.
And so we saw Google's decision to stop censoring its search results
in China -- censorship demanded by the Chinese government -- after a
period of compliance during which Google hoped Chinese sensibilities
about access to knowledge -- and freedom of speech -- would improve, a
test that China unfortunately failed.
Google initially and understandably gave China the benefit of the
doubt. Yet China -- and I'm speaking of the Chinese government, not
the people themselves -- then chose to be even more belligerent on
these issues, not less. Google rightly made the decision that in
light of these developments, participation in China's censorship
regime was not good for the Chinese people or for Google, and ceased
participation. Google made the ethically correct choice, one that
should be roundly congratulated.
In light of this, it's difficult to accept Microsoft's new move to not
only provide censored search services in China, but to go one giant
step farther and actually partner with the Chinese search giant Baidu
within the Chinese censorship regime. By this action, Microsoft
allies itself directly with the Chinese government's information
oppression, and becomes not just a bit player in that regime, but a
full-fledged comrade in censorship.
Microsoft can't claim ignorance of China's modus operandi in these
regards. Not only the Google experience dealing with China and
search, but other recent Chinese activities, have provided concrete
examples. So without a doubt, money has won out over ethics for
Microsoft when it comes to China. No excuses, no mitigating
circumstances.
And similarly for Cisco. Like IBM and their dealings with German
National Socialism in the WWII era, Cisco appears to be purposely,
directly, and explicitly "averting its eyes" from knowledge of how its
technologies will certainly be abused.
It can indeed be argued that our actions as a nation have not always
been in keeping with the ideals and hopes of our Founding Fathers.
Our government and businesses -- and we the people -- are not perfect.
Nobody is.
But the fulfillment of our ideals is ultimately a tapestry of
individual actions at all levels, and past mistakes do not justify
present or future unethical behaviors.
This applies not only to each of us, but also to our governments, to
Microsoft, to Cisco, and to every other corporation and organization.
While Microsoft's and Cisco's couplings with China may reap benefits
for their shareholders, these specific dealings are still a
fundamental betrayal of ethics, and of our fundamental values --
especially given what we know today about Chinese government behaviors
and reactions in these realms at this time.
The Chinese people are not our enemies. And in the long run, a closer
relationship between China and the U.S. would be of immense value to
both countries. But an ethical path to that goal cannot be reasonably
paved with direct U.S. entanglements with the most oppressive aspects
of China's government today. An unethical path merely serves to help
perpetuate those very abuses that most slow any progress toward our
best and finest aspirations.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Google Buzz: http://j.mp/laurenbuzz
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com