The days of innocence are over. Search giant Google, which has trumpeted a “do no evil” mantra since its start, has already been recast as “Goolag” on some blogs for agreeing to demands by China to censor search results in that country. Google is not the only tech company under fire. Yahoo, Cisco, and Microsoft have also been taken to task in recent U.S. hearings focusing on how American companies are helping the Chinese government suppress dissidents. The brouhaha has raised a critical question: How can these U.S. companies do business in repressive countries without being branded as government sympathizers? The deepening dilemma threatens to tarnish their reputations, shrink stock valuations, and reshape business plans. Red Herring takes a closer look at the tech industry’s dealings with foreign regimes in this week’s cover story, “Dancing with Dictators” on newsstands Monday. Here is a peek into the rest of our lineup, which appears along with our regular features:

• La Place du Soleil is a small business without a web site or online advertisements, but thanks to startups like StepUp, the company’s products can now be found on Google, Oodle, and Pricerunner. Learn about the move to connect online shoppers with neighborhood stores in “Locals Only.”

• “Curve on Tobacco Road” covers how tobacco, long maligned for its links to cancer, might actually end up becoming an ally in the fight against the deadly disease—if St. Louis-based biotechnology firm Chlorogen has its way.

• The computer that U.S. astronauts left behind on the moon in 1969 was out of date by the time they returned to the lunar surface four months later, but today’s space suits aren’t much different from the bulky gear worn 37 years ago. Find out how MIT researchers are helping future astronauts move beyond the Michelin Man look in “Space Couture.”

For the complete stories, get the latest issue of Red Herring Magazine, on newsstands February 27, 2006. To view the issue now, you may purchase the digital version byclicking here.