Government the world round are always trying to find new ways to get control over the Internet and the people using it. In Korea there is a state law that stipulates that if you run a web site in South Korea with at least 100,000 daily the visitors to that site must register with verifiable real names. One of the principal companies targeted by this law is Google or more specifically YouTube and as of April 1 they have started banning South Korean users from posting video or leaving comments unless they use their real names.

What strikes me as rather strange is that all you are hearing is the sound of crickets in the tech blogosphere, or even mainstream media for that matter, over this announcement from Google. As it is I only heard about this from reading a post about on Silicon Valley Watcher where Tom Foremski makes an interesting point

[…] this is the first time Google has ever done this.

It’s corporate philosophy states: "…we have a responsibility to protect your privacy and security." And its top executives and representatives have often spoken about Google’s commitment to privacy and free speech on the Internet.

What’s the point in Google portraying itself as company with strong principles when it won’t stand up and defend them? What would it be losing if it refused?

Now mind you the fact that the South Korean government is promising Google 1.2 billion yen (about $892,000USD) for research and development when the company enters the South Korean market just might have something to do with it. Seems like a pretty cheap price though for corporate integrity.