[IP] Yahoo apparently born in Year of the RatSiliconValley.com - Good Morning Silicon Valley
Yahoo apparently born in Year of the RatBy JOHN PACZKOWSKI
Sure, Yahoo signed China's "Public Pledge on Self-discipline for the
Chinese Internet Industry," a voluntary agreement to monitor and
restrict information deemed "harmful" by Beijing, but no one thought
the company would follow it to the letter. Reporters Without Borders
this week accused the Internet giant of helping Chinese state
security officials catch and prosecute a journalist who "leaked state
secrets,"Beijing's shorthand for criticizing the government.
According to the media watchdog group, Yahoo willingly handed over
information that enabled officials to link the IP address of the
journalist's computer to a state secret he'd forwarded to foreign
media via e-mail. In this case, the "state secret" was a message
warning Chinese journalists of the dangers of social destabilization
and risks resulting from the return of certain dissidents on the 15th
anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. "We already knew that
Yahoo collaborates enthusiastically with the Chinese regime in
questions of censorship, and now we know it is a Chinese police
informant as well," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.
"Yahoo obviously complied with requests from the Chinese authorities
to furnish information regarding an IP address that linked Shi Tao to
materials posted online, and the company will yet again simply state
that they just conform to the laws of the countries in which they
operate," the organization said. "But does the fact that this
corporation operates under Chinese law free it from all ethical
considerations? How far will it go to please Beijing? ... It is one
thing to turn a blind eye to the Chinese government's abuses and it
is quite another thing to collaborate." The accusations highlight the
conundrum facing Internet companies battling it out for a piece of
the lucrative Chinese marketplace. How does one do business in China
without supporting a government known for its censorship of online
information?
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/