Anti-censor vote defeat at Google
Google co-founder Sergei Brin abstained from voting on proposals demanding the firm resist censorship but said he agreed with the "spirit" of the motions.
The proposals, aimed at Google's controversial performance in China, were defeated. Brin said he disagreed with their wording and implementation.
"I say at the outset that I'm pretty proud of what we've been able to accomplish in China...Google has a far superior track record than other internet or internet search companies in China," he said.
Brin said some of Google's anti-censorship innovations, like offering users a warning when their queries are being truncated, have been adopted by chief competitor Baidu.
One motion, proposed by the New York City Comptroller and sponsored by Amnesty International, called on the firm to "use all legal means to resist censorship".
The other by Californian fund manager Harrington Investments called for the board of directors to form a human rights committee.
The company argued it was better to agree to the Chinese government's censorship rules than to refuse to service Chinese customers.
