Yahoo and China

[Bjorn]

What is Yahoo thinking about in China? It looks like they have given information about users to the Chinese Government, and in at least two cases the users have been sentenced to long prison terms.

From CNN:

Reporters Without Borders counts 81 journalists and dissidents currently jailed on questionable grounds. The details of those prisoners' cases are all just ticking time bombs that could further damage reputations of U.S. Internet companies if it turns out that they are now in jail because of information those companies willingly gave the Chinese government.
It's one thing to comply with the law in foreign countries. It is another to become a surveillance arm in those countries or to be complicit in censoring their citizens. The fast-growing Chinese Internet is perhaps the most appealing market in the world right now, but what will it cost U.S. companies to remain there?

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/08/technology/yahoo_china_b20/

Yahoo has faced a great deal of criticism after information it gave the Chinese Government in at least two instances resulted in prison terms for Chinese bloggers. Last week, the press freedom organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) called on Yahoo to supply a list of all cyber dissidents it has provided various governments data on, starting with 81 people in China.

http://news.stepforth.com/blog/2006/02/yahoo-calls-for-collective-action.php

 

[Wheezebucket]

When I lived in Pingnan, China, I had a run in with the local police. Pingnan is a relatively small town in southern China near the border and I was there teaching English. There was an internet cafe not far from my apartment that I would frequent to check my normal sites and chat with people on AIM. About 2 months into my stay I awoke to police officers entering my bedroom (my apartment was in the same building as the school, they just decided they'd let themselves in). Long story short, all of my internet activity was being tracked, and because so few English speaking people have been around that area before they decided to investigate directly. I was one of 3 teachers at my school to be investigated. We had to register our passport information so they would know which of us was looking at what, and when.

It was the only time I was ever made directly aware I was living in a communist country and it scared the bejesus out of me.

 

[Bjorn]

It was the only time I was ever made directly aware I was living in a communist country and it scared the bejesus out of me.

I'm sure it did. It scares me even more that Yahoo willingly identified the user after being asked by the government.

 

[Kaylee]

I'm sure it did. It scares me even more that Yahoo willingly identified the user after being asked by the government.

It makes me angry. Google is another company that cooperates with China.

Is anyone aware of which search engines do not cooperate with China? I would rather start using those.

 

[Bjorn]

It makes me angry. Google is another company that cooperates with China.

Is anyone aware of which search engines do not cooperate with China? I would rather start using those.

Google has, as far as I know, agreed to block certain searches/websites from users located in China - which I don't like, but it doesn't kill anyone. Pretty much like selling the NY Times there on the condition that certain stories are deleted in the Chinese version.

Yahoo, on the other hand, has been asked for and given information about users that effectively helped the Chinese Government prosecute and jail people for having opinions that are "illegal" in China.

"Yahoo? I'm calling from the anti-freedom of speech brigade, we have seen these ridiculous posts from someone calling themselves "Free China", could we have the name and address, please? Lim Leang Shui? Great, we'll take care of it!"

 

[Kopji]

Yeah I think Yahoo has crossed a very bad line on this one. Besides undermining a core corporate product (information), the potential for everyday fraud and abuse is pretty good too. Suppose an important official wants to get another one in trouble and is willing to bribe Yahoo to help set it up?. We'd have to rename the company to Whore-hoo.

 

[bignickel]

This is very disturbing.

I may have to find a differant email provider because of this. If I do, rest assured I'll let Yahoo know why I'm leaving.