Google’s Action Makes A Mockery Of Its Values

Bambi Francisco writes that Google’s recent decision to officially censor search results in China violates its core values:

It’s profound what being a public company can do to the core values of a young firm.

was less than two years ago that Google Inc. (GOOG) co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin thumbed their noses at the U.S. investment banking community with an auction-based IPO and their pledge not to cave in to the short-term demands of Wall Street.

Their mantra was “do no evil,” and the company’s statement still says Google’s goal is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Even with one of the largest market valuations of any U.S. company, Google tries to set itself apart from its rivals…by underscoring its high-minded philosophical goal to “resist the temptation to make small sacrifices to increase shareholder value.”

It passionately claims that “Google has steadfastly refused to make any change that does not offer a benefit to the users who come to the site.”

Yet Google’s announcement Tuesday that it will comply with China’s repressive laws by doctoring its search results in that country makes a mockery of those values.