Do Western companies (such as Google, Facebook and Apple) operating in authoritarian regimes have responsibilities to upheld their Western Core Value, such as Democracy, Freedom of Speech, and Privacy for their users?

Introduction of such as Google, Facebook and Apple

The authoritarian regimes are the ones that tend to be autocratic by having the power being concentrated in one person. In the said regimes, the powers as well as the authorities are shared among the government institutions and the officials. Google, Facebook and Apple are well-known companies of the world. For every product/ service whereby the product is dealing with the personal data, there is an immense need to take into consideration the privacy related issues. The main motive behind it is to provide the security to the personal data & the information of the users.

Analysis of such as Google, Facebook and Apple

The Western companies (such as Google, Facebook and Apple) have the well-defined set for the Western Core values i.e., relating to the freedom of the speech, democracy as well as the maintenance for the user’s privacy. It is strictly followed in their origin of the operations. But when it comes to operating in the authoritarian regimes (such as China or the other such regions where all the powers and the authorities are centralized) then the deviation from the core values is noticed. In such countries, there is no such concept that the ruling is done by having the people point of view. Rather it is considered that every authority lies with the government. It is the sole body to hold the authority for making the nation’s decisions. The people are to follow these decisions without making any participation to the decision-making processes. The famous companies under discussion i.e., Google, Facebook and Apple when tends to perform the operations in such regions they are also obliged to follow the rules and the regulations of the said region (apple, 2019). The authority still lies with the government. All the major decisions are made by the central body. It can be said that the element of the democracy is eliminated from the list. When it comes to the freedom of the speech then this point goes with the partial responsibility. As far as the privacy of the users is concerned then it holds true irrespective of the region to operate. For the users of any social media application, the most important thing is the protection of their personal data. The more the user’s personal data is secured, the more it is reliable to use a platform.

Conclusion of such as Google, Facebook and Apple

The authoritarian regimes are the autocratic because of holding the power as well as the authorities with more concentration towards a central body. The companies operating in these regions (such as Google, Facebook and Apple) should try to have the responsibility for their Western Core Values to the possible extent. Out of various available parameters, most important is the provision of the privacy to the user’s personal data. It is perceived that the users feel more comfortable to work with the applications whereby they feel more secured.

2). Do such companies have the responsibility for the security of the authoritarian regimes that they operate in?

Introduction of such as Google, Facebook and Apple

The companies under discussion are Google, Facebook and Apple. They have the long success stories behind their current worth. There are various challenges these companies had faced in order to reach at the current position & the market share. It can be either in the form of customer’s needs & expectations, the norm s& culture as well as the rules & the regulations of a country etc. When it comes to provide the services in the regions other than their actual domain of the operations then the rules and the regulations of that specified region also need to be followed.

Analysis of such as Google, Facebook and Apple

Although the Western companies (such as Google, Facebook and Apple) have the well-defined set for the Western Core values which are strictly followed in the country of origin. But when the companies tend to perform the operations in some authoritarian regimes, then these companies also become liable to provide the security for the authoritarian regimes. This security can either provided in the form of backed up database or other cyber security issues. The main agenda behind these steps is to ensure the authoritarian regimes that these famous companies like Google, Facebook and Apple are fully taking into consideration the privacy concerns of the said country. Also, the inhabitants of the specified country feel themselves more secure and protected while using the services of these reliable service providers. The data gathered for the purpose of the market research work is also saved and secured. It can contain any personal data or any state related data (being collected by the survey teams of Google, Facebook and Apple) (Crowley, 2013). The important thing is the provision of the security to the state concerns. Once the organizations are successful in providing the surety to the government of the authoritarian regimes that their privacy and the security concerns are highly valued, only then the functions and the operations of these companies are streamlined in such regions.

Conclusion of such as Google, Facebook and Apple

It can be concluded that the companies which adopt to serve the regions other than their primary regions of the operation have to take into consideration the concerns of both i.e., the users as well the overall region. It can be said that they both have the direct association with each other. In case one is provided with the security, the other automatically gets the security and vice versa. The main thing is to provide the overall region with the security for the private data of the users. The more reliability and the security of the personal data provides the users with the comfort zone that their service providers are highly reliable who care more about protecting their personal data and the private information.

 References of such as Google, Facebook and Apple

apple, 2019. About Apple security. [Online]
Available at: https://support.apple.com/en-hk/HT208848

Crowley, M. C., 2013. Not a happy accident: How Google deliberately designs workplace satisfaction. Science Direct, Volume 21.