While everyone was talking about Google's new spreadsheet service, Sergey Brin was out causing a different kind of commotion.
Speaking to reporters in Washington - where he was campaigning for net neutrality - Brin admitted that the search engine had compromised its principles by creating a censored version of the index for China, and (more interestingly) that Google might be considering reversing that decision.
The Associated Press got the main part of the story:
"We felt that perhaps we could compromise our principles but provide ultimately more information for the Chinese and be a more effective service and perhaps make more of a difference," Brin said. [...]
Google's China-approved Web service omits politically sensitive information that might be retrieved during Internet searches, such as details about the 1989 suppression of political unrest in Tiananmen Square. Its agreement with China has provoked considerable criticism from human rights groups.
"Perhaps now the principled approach makes more sense," Brin said.
This has, understandably, caused quite a lot consternation and conversation around those who watch the company and/or are interested in the Chinese puzzle. Danny Sullivan at SearchEngineWatch wonders whether the Chinese government has caused the change, while John Battelle thinks it could herald a serious about-face.
I spoke to Google just a moment ago, who said that this wasn't an official statement of intent from the company --- but of course in many ways whatever Larry and Sergey says goes at the Googleplex.
Do you think it is a signal of change - an admission that the decision to censor was wrong - or merely an attempt to bring the doubters behind a company that is in danger of throwing away its goodwill?
