Google founder Sergey Brin, on a trip to Washington to encourage lawmakers to support Internet neutrality, had a lot to say about censorship and privacy on the Web. He acknowledged that Google has
compromised its principles by censoring content in China--but ultimately, he said, the company feels it's more useful to be there and provide the Chinese people with access to most of its
information--"and perhaps make more of a difference" rather than not be there at all. According to the human rights group Reporters Without Borders, Google's main search engine--which is fed from U.S.
Web servers--is no longer accessible in most Chinese provinces. However, its Chinese-based Web site, www.google.cn, which is self-censored by Google in accordance with government demands,
is
accessible all over China. While Chinese censorship has been highly publicized, Brin pointed out that American users have warped expectations with regard to their own online privacy. "I think it's
interesting that the expectations of people with respect to what happens to their data seems to be different than what is actually happening," Brin said. Google has opposed the U.S. Justice
Department's efforts to gain information about its users' Web searches. The company claims not to have participated in programs with the National Security Agency to collect information without
warrants.
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