Google in China

     Many people may or may not know about Google's situation in China.  Basically, the government of China asked Google to sensor a number of words from its search engine in 2006, but only when being searched from China.  Essentially, China did not want its citizens to be able to search certain terms and phrases that it deemed inappropriate.  One of these phrases was "Tank Man," referring to the famous 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square.  The government was using Google to control what the people did and did not have access to.  Google reluctantly agreed and for a number of years, went through with this censorship, even though that is very strongly against Google's beliefs.
     The owners and founders of Google have always been huge opponents of censoring the internet.  They have even made public statements about keeping the internet uncensored, as is shown in this official Google blog.  Finally, in 2010, Google stopped censoring the Chinese search results after Chinese citizens attempted to hack into them and gain information about politics and the military.  The Chinese government was extremely unhappy and lashed back at them, attacking them publicly.
     During the time that Google was censoring the Chinese search results however, the United States Congress was the one threatening Google.  The Global Online Freedom Act was a bill that, even though it never became law, would make Google's actions in China illegal.  So the United States was acting very strongly against censorship.  While reading about this, I could not help but remember a bill that was being considered just over a month ago in the United States.  That's right, SOPA and PIPA.  If these bills were to be passed, the government would have been granted power to essentially censor the internet to its citizens.  And again, although the bill was not passed, it was being seriously considered by a number of Congressmen.  So just a few short years ago, our Congress was publicly against censorship, threatening to punish American companies that censored other countries, but this year, in 2012, all of the sudden a number of Congressmen legitimately thought it would be a good idea to impose these restriction on our own soil?  Doesn't make much sense to me.  I can't help think that maybe censorship isn't the real issue to them, they are just looking to flex their power and maybe make a few bucks.