Users Cite “Irreconcilable Differences” as They Protest at Google Offices Around the World
London – Thousands of Tibetans and Google users dumped the search engine in a mass “breakup” today as they boycotted Google services and protested at offices around the world. London protesters demonstrated outside Google UK headquarters citing “irreconcilable differences” over the launch of Google.cn, which provides only Chinese government-approved information to internet users in China and Tibet.
“I still don’t understand how Google could betray us like this,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet and former Google user. “I thought I knew Google. I believed Google’s motto, ‘Don’t be evil.’ But the fact is that Google abandoned its beliefs in search of bigger profits, just like so many other western companies heading to China.”
Thousands of people publicly dumped Google in the lead up to Valentine’s Day and posted heart wrenching “breakup stories” on www.NoLuv4Google.com, a website sponsored by Students for a Free Tibet (SFT). Google users condemn the company for assisting the Chinese government in censoring and distorting information in China and Tibet, thereby depriving Tibetans, Uighurs, democracy advocates, and others of a critical tool for improving their political situation. To date, over 40,000 protest emails have been sent to Google executives.
“Thousands of people are boycotting Google today and protests are taking place in over 16 cities around the world” said Alice Speller, National Coordinator of Students for a Free Tibet UK. “We want Google to end their partnership with the Chinese government and stand on the right side of history” she added.
The web search platform, Google.cn, launched on January 25th, is custom-built to the Chinese authorities’ specifications to block access to and distort information on Tibet, human rights, and other topics “sensitive” to Beijing.
Google rivals Yahoo! and Microsoft are also under fire for censoring information, shutting down websites, and providing private data used by the Chinese authorities to prosecute journalists and democracy advocates.
Tomorrow, February 15th, Google, Yahoo! Microsoft and Cisco are scheduled to testify before the US House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Relations about their Chinese operations.
SFT UK is part of the international organization Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), with Headquarters in New York and offices in Vancouver, Canada and Dharamsala, India, seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action, SFT campaigns for Tibetans fundamental right to political freedom.
For Further details: www.sftuk.org or
www.noluv4google.com
