Firms’ China actions ‘abhorrent’
p2p news / p2pnet: Depending on what you read, four major Net companies have been "slammed," "grilled," "scolded" or merely "chided" for helping China implement censorship policies
But whatever you read, they all, "found themselves branded collaborators with the Chinese government in suppressing dissent in return for access to a booming Internet market," as the Associated Press.
Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Cisco were testifying the House International Relations Committee and, "Your abhorrent actions in China are a disgrace," it has Tom Lantos saying.
"I simply don’t understand how your corporate leadership sleeps at night."
The companies claim a lust for profits wasn’t the motivating factor for their involvements. Rather, as good corporate citizens, they’re following China’s rules, but only to help Chinese surfers.
Yahoo’s senior vp and general counsel, Michael Callahan, told the committee his company was "very distressed" at having to comply with Chinese law, says AP.
Yahoo is said to have recently given China information which allowed the authorities to jail two cyber-dissidents.
Elliot Schrage, vp of global communications and public affairs for Google, which has admitted its role as a censor for China, was able to say it was, "not something we did enthusiastically or something we’re proud of at all. … We have begun a path that we believe will ultimately benefit our users in China."
Under "pointed questioning about Google’s role in abetting censorship, Schrage, his voice cracking, said: ‘I am not ashamed of it, and I am not proud of it’," says Fortune.
Jack Krumholtz, "Microsoft’s top Washington operative," said Bill and the Boyz were, "deeply troubled" by the requirement that Microsoft censor blogs but said that, as a result, "There’s more opportunity for freedom of expression in China today," says the story, adding:
"U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, who chaired the House subcommittee hearing, compared the tech company’s actions to IBM’s collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II. Smith, a New Jersey Republican, dismissed the claim by firms that they have to obey local laws.
"If the secret police a half century ago asked where Anne Frank was hiding, would the correct answer be to hand over the information in order to comply with local laws?" Smith asked.
"We must stand with the oppressed, not the oppressors."
Cisco, accused of providing technology that allows China to filter internet content, "testified that it sells the same equipment in China that it does elsewhere." says the Times."
Stay tuned.
Also See:
Associated Press – Congress chides 4 companies over China, February 15, 2006
Fortune – Tech execs get grilled over China business, February 15, 2006
Times – Google and Yahoo face their Congressional critics, February 15, 2006
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Download it here and feel free to copy the zip and host it yourself so others can download it.
February 15th, 2006 at 11:33 pm
“Your abhorrent actions in China are a disgrace,” it has Tom Lantos saying.
“I simply don’t understand how your corporate leadership sleeps at night.”
These statements are compelling, but coming from a US congressman, even a democrat, kinda takes the edge off…
February 16th, 2006 at 12:32 am
Do you have something Specific you would like to say about Tom Lantos?
Or should we list the recent crimes by republican cogressmen?
February 16th, 2006 at 6:29 am
“Or should we list the recent crimes by republican cogressmen?”
Do you realise how long that would take?
(Funnily enough, it would probably take a company like Google or Yahoo to organize that list into something comprehensible).
February 16th, 2006 at 7:59 am
If these companies didn’t feel the need to obsessively log every little of information they possibly can concerning an internet user’s employment of one of their resources they would not be in the position of having to play stool pigeon.
‘
Yes, logs are necessary to track down problems and trace various technical issues, but such data collection can be entirely ephemeral.
As the clock ticks from one hour to the next… “Okay, no problems reported in the period from 180 to 120 minutes ago, so flush all of the logs……”
That way, when the secret police (or the RIAA) show up they are told “We’re sorry, we do not keep the type of records that you are seeking.”
Furthermore, if the servers in question are NOT located in the country making official inquiries, one is NOT breaking local laws by NOT recording the information despotic regimes might like to have.
February 16th, 2006 at 10:43 am
I actually find it heartening that, whatever duplicity the US goverment might be guilty of, the principle of free speech still underpins its constitution. Here is the UK I can imagine companies in a similar venture would be commended for bringing in the business and respecting local values.
February 16th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
I’ve got no specific beef with congressman Lantos. Let’s just say my mistrust of government is not partisan.