China Deal Hurt Google Values, Exec Says

Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin said Tuesday that the Internet search giant had compromised its principles by accommodating China’s censorship demands. He said Google was wrestling with how to make the deal work before deciding whether to reverse course.

Meeting with reporters near Capitol Hill, Brin said Google had agreed to the censorship demands only after Chinese authorities blocked its service in that country. Google’s rivals also accommodated the same demands -- which Brin described as “a set of rules that we weren’t comfortable with” -- without meeting international criticism, he said.

“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,” he said.

Brin also addressed Internet users’ expectations of privacy in an era of increased government surveillance, saying Americans misunderstood the limited safeguards of their personal electronic information.

“I think it’s interesting that the expectations of people with respect to what happens to their data seems to be different than what is actually happening,” he said.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google has battled the Justice Department in court seeking to limit the amount of information the government can get about users’ Internet searches. The company also says it has not participated in any programs with the National Security Agency to collect Internet communications without warrants.

Google’s free e-mail service is among the most popular.

Brin visited Washington to ask senators to approve a plan that would prevent telephone and cable companies from collecting premium fees from companies such as Google, Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. for faster delivery of their services.

Brin, dressed in jeans, sneakers and a black sports jacket, said he wasn’t sure whether he changed any lawmaker’s mind.

Google’s China-approved Web service omits politically sensitive information from 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.