The Kettle Calling The Pot Black - A Question Of Consistent Principles

Internet Firms to Defend Policies: Hearing Explores China Censorship
By Yuki Noguchi
Washington Post Staff Writer

"Yahoo Inc., Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. will go on Capitol Hill today to defend corporate policies for dealing with China that they say balance business interests with human-rights concerns. In testimony before the House subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations and the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Yahoo plans to argue that the presence of the Internet does good for closed societies even when censored or restricted. A congressional panel will debate whether U.S. Internet firms should insist on free-speech standards in China."

There is something fundamentally wrong when our government investigates and condemns other governments for practices that we ourselves are allowing within our own borders. These companies have been hit with unsupported subpoenas for records and data from the DOJ for its investigation on the search for pornography on the Internet. Does the use of a subpoena really make such intrusions into the use of search engines any less a violation of privacy? But then, we may be giving these big businesses too much leeway in terms of their authoritarian apporaches to customers and employees.

"But some human rights advocates plan to testify that corporate America is abnegating its ethical responsibilities by complying with Chinese law. Others expected to testify include network-equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc. and representatives from the State Department."

Our government is cooperating with the negation of civil rights and first principles. We need congress to review the behaviors of these corporations and place limits on how they can effect censorship, surveillance and restrict the rights of employees in the workplace. But remember, opposing the rights of workers is just another rung in the ladder toward fascism.

"The hearing comes after several incidents highlighted the privacy and censorship concerns of doing Internet-related business in China. Indeed, trafficking in information raises issues that complicate the free-speech spirit of many Internet companies. Last month, Google said it would censor certain results on the Chinese version of its search engine. Last year, Yahoo provided e-mail information to the Chinese government that led to the identification and incarceration of a dissident Chinese reporter. In December, Microsoft's MSN shut down the blog of another reporter. Many other companies have struck similar compromises with the Chinese government to do business in China, which is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world."

Anyone remember the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? We are supposed to speak out and protect fundamental human rights. Merely holding a hearing is insufficient. As my former shipmates would say, "This is unsat!"

"Separately, the State Department yesterday said that it had established a Global Internet Freedom Task Force to monitor other governments' policies on censorship and restriction of access to information. The task force will make policy recommendations on how to maximize access to the Internet while minimizing government attempts to block information, State Department officials said."

Will this include freedom in our own country? I know some people they should include in the process.

"'If you're on the ground in China, you have to comply with the [local] law,' said Michael J. Callahan, Yahoo's general counsel, who plans to testify today. 'Fundamentally, being there transforms lives, society and economies, he said."

But wait... we have entered a vague domain of law and principle here. Is "cyberspace" really present on the ground in China? If a web site on Tienamien Square exists in the US or the UK, does China have the right to restrict access to it? Does it have a compelling and just reason to do so? Isn't China in violation of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration? Perhaps what is needed is a "cyber wall" that keeps the Chinese government from accessing the Internet. Why not shut down all international access to the telecommunications world except for its own internal resources and diplomatic channels? If China wants to remain an isolated and controlling empire, why not let it. In fact, why don't we just shut down all trade with China as well. Pull out all "foreign devils" and let China go back to its 19th century rationalization.

There's only a few reasons why that won't work: a) Wal-Mart and other big corporations won't stand for it; b) our standing in the international community cannot garner that type of international support; and c) the free world doesn't have the backbone to stand up to the really big scoundrels of the world or for the really important principles.

So far the news I have read today is pretty disgusting and disappointing.