The second line of the web post makes one thing very clear:
"That arrangement means going along with the Chinese government's censorship policies."
If this all sounds a bit familiar, it is because Microsoft is following a path previously blazed by Google:
"Google operated a Chinese version of its engine, based in China, and went along with the government's censorship of results. But that approach never really sat well with a company dedicated to the idea of finding information and bringing it to web users.
Google eventually moved its Chinese search engine to Hong Kong, where the laws aren't as restrictive."
So Microsoft must have a better idea how to deal with these issues, right? Wrong:
"For its part, Microsoft says that it respects the laws of the countries where it does business and complies with them accordingly."
Rebecca MacKinnon from the New America Foundation is quoted in the report as saying:
"The Chinese government expects Internet companies to censor and police user content," she says. "So, with all of these companies, including Baidu, they're expected to exercise what the Chinese government calls 'self discipline' and they actually give out an award for this."
Meet the new Baidu, same as the old Baidu! Baidu-Bing! To listen to the full report, click here.
