Google shareholders vote for their pockets

The proposal comes after the search engine took flak over its policies in China, Google.cn engaging in self-censorship: a move that Google acknowleged itself in last year's congressional testimony as running "counter to Google's most basic values and commitments."

However, while Google may not be pro-censorship, the proposal would have prevented the search giant from operating in China. Senior vice president for corporate development David Drummond reckons that "shutting down Google.cn is just not the right thing to do at this point."

The failed proposal would have required, among other things, that the company would not engage in pro-active censorship, as well as using all legal means to resist censorship demands and to let users know when the company has agreed to censor links.

David Drummond pointed out that he is working with human-rights groups, socially aware investors, and "others" to think up a set of guidelines for running shop in censor-heavy countries. He stated that "applying a rigid set of rules" won't necessarily get the company anywhere.

Unsurprisingly, Google's board of directors suggested that shareholders say "nay" en masse to the proposal. µ