Holding Google's Feet to the Fire

If you remember, Google management came under fire a couple of years ago for giving in to China's Communist dictatorship on censorship. In return for being allowed access to the country and its vast market, Google agreed to censor the Chinese version of its Web site to exclude politically sensitive subjects.

Enter New York City comptroller William Thompson, who is taking a stand for freedom. Thompson is overseer of the big public pension funds in the city, including the police, firefighters and teachers pension money. That gives him a fair amount of clout at stockholder meetings. Total assets under Thompson's management: $105 billion.