Google shows no sign of listening to the many who are seeking to ensure it supports, rather than hinders, basic human rights.

The company has just announced it will increase staff hired in China by one third this year. An additional 200 staff will help the existing 600 to grow market share of Google’s products against the local market leader, Chinese-owned Baidu.

This is against the trend for Google operations elsewhere, where fewer new staff have been joining than in recent years.

Google's president for Greater China, Lee Kai-Fu said Google would also build more partnerships with Chinese Web site operators and share the profits generated. Google already has a relationship with Chinese media site Sina.com for news, advertising and search services.

Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman and Chief Executive remarked earlier this week in a conference call with investors that business in China is improving. "We are seeing market share growth and good revenue growth as we have learned to operate in that environment," he said.

Learning to operate “in that environment” means working actively within the context of intense media censorship driven by the Chinese government. Just last month China shut down access to Google-owned YouTube after clips showing violence between police and Tibetan protesters were posted to the site. Clearly Google is under pressure to self-censor, and there are well-documented cases where this has occurred.

On May 8, Google’s annual general meeting will for the second year in a row consider proposals from shareholders to hold the company accountable for protecting free speech.

The first of two resolutions was submitted by Google shareholders including the Office of the Comptroller of New York City, custodian of superannuation funds for New York City employees including teachers, police, firefighters and municipal staff. The proposal stated "Technology companies in the United States have failed to develop adequate standards by which they can conduct business with authoritarian governments while protecting human rights to freedom of speech and freedom of expression." The proposal would require Google to not host data that can identify individual users in Internet-restricting countries such as China, to resist demands for censorship, to inform users when it has censored content, and to tell its users about its data-retention practices.

A second resolution submitted by Harrington Investments, a funds management firm specialising in socially responsible investing, would establish a board committee on human rights that would review and make recommendations regarding human rights issues raised by Google's activities.

Google's board have recommended that shareholders reject both proposals.

Hiring lots more staff, rejecting proposals to guarantee freedom of expression and human rights, and saying you are “learning to operate in [the] environment [of China]”. It seems Google just isn’t listening.

For more information:

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN1936765120080419

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9903031-7.html?tag=newsmap

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9895796-7.html