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Ellison: Censorship ain't my problem

When it comes to touting his company's software, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is never one to mince words. But when it's the principle of free speech versus the almighty dollar, the bad boy of Silicon Valley is a veritable shrinking violet. [Missing Links]

Charles Cooper Former Executive Editor / News
Charles Cooper was an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet.
Charles Cooper
When it comes to touting his company's software, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is never one to mince words. But when it's the principle of free speech versus the almighty dollar, the bad boy of Silicon Valley is a veritable shrinking violet.

Earlier this month, the Chinese government decided to block access to Google's English-language news service, a decision that riled free-speech advocates. But Ellison wants nothing to do with this controversy.

"The Chinese government has the right to do it," Ellison said as he answered audience questions following his keynote speech at OracleWorld Wednesday afternoon. "It's a sovereign country."

"Oracle's job is not to encourage governments to change their policies," he said, adding that Oracle "was just a technology provider."