“In China, Objections to Google’s Book Scans”

As major Internet-based companies continue to increase the availability of online media, various privacy, security and copyright issues begin to surface, especially when crossing international borders. Although further activating its mission “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” Google’s efforts to digitize books have caused controversy in China where authors have responded by coming together to defend their rights and demand protection from Google’s “unauthorized copying.”

According to the article, Google’s goal of digitizing millions of books has not only been a recurring problem overseas, but also in the United States as the company does not obtain permission from publishers or authors. The Chinese were only recently informed of Google’s efforts through potential class-action settlements between American authors. When looking into the issue, it was discovered that Google was obtaining Chinese works from American libraries and scanning them into a database. Chinese writer’s groups have accused Google of violating international copyright laws by scanning Chinese works into this database without permission. One group, the China Writers’ Association, representing about 9,000 writers, believes “Google has seriously violated the copyrights of Chinese writers.” Google, on the other hand, insists the company has complied with all necessary regulations. It argues that their efforts are legal since the excerpt that appears online in the Book Search service is small and for informational purposes only. Chinese authors have taken a strong position against the works of Google and have further suggested that the company has published selections online without permission; however, no evidence has confirmed additional charges. Proposed settlements have been rejected by the Chinese and are currently being rewritten.

I thought it was interesting that a representative from Google claimed that it is impossible to identify who holds the rights to the millions of books in the library and waiting for them to surface would inhibit the creation of a comprehensive index. Although I do not know what the exact copyright laws are, I’m surprised that such a huge corporation is willing to overlook copyrights instead of carrying out the necessary process to obtain permission.

This controversy highlights the idea that privacy and security are some of the most important issues when creating databases of information. Rules regarding these issues and the fine lines within each situation keep resurfacing as more databases are expanded and created. From Facebook to online stores to Google, any data that is stored in a database must always be obtained and stored with proper permission and security. This article shows that with the motivation of making knowledge more accessible, certain information requires a more detailed process. While the organization and global access that stems from database use is beneficial, if not done properly, it can create domestic and international problems on both legal and political levels. It exposes a complication in the continuously advancing IT field.