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Internet China Defends Right to Police Internet
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - February 16, 2006 6:44 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 41 comment(s) - last by fallacies.. on Feb 19 at 3:51 PM
Now that the US government is getting involved, it has some people wondering why any government is involved in the first place

Everyone has something to say about privacy issues and whether or not Yahoo and Google should censor material for the Chinese government.  Earlier today, Chinese officials argued that it has the right to police the Internet in any way that it deems appropriate for the citizens of China.  This statement comes a day after four companies spoke in front of Congress on charges that blame the companies for helping limit free speech in return for market access.      

Yahoo, Google, Cisco Systems, and Microsoft were recently grilled at a congressional hearing about human-rights violations and censorship because of various decisions made by each company.  It has been well known that China is notorious for censoring and arresting users that don't abide by the strict rules that the government has put in place.  Specifically, Google is under fire from critics for bowing down and agreeing to censor content so the company is allowed to do business in China.  Microsoft is blamed for removing a blog that was too critical of the government.  Yahoo allegedly gave information to the government which led to a crackdown on Chinese citizens and journalists.   

With some analysts speculating that the number of Internet search users in China may increase from 100 million to 187 million people by 2007, we should become acclimated to the possibility that more companies will do whatever the Chinese government wishes in return for open market access.

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WTF?
By ProviaFan on 2/16/2006 7:39:55 PM , Rating: 2
Google's actions might or might not be rationalized, but that Yahoo actively helped get people arrested for something that is not a crime at all is beyond belief, and entirely unacceptable.




RE: WTF?
By dmcanally on 2/16/2006 7:55:07 PM , Rating: 1
I may be wrong here… you have no place or right to tell another government/country what is right or wrong. If you don’t like it, don’t go live in or visit China. If a Chinese citizen doesn’t like it, they can leave.


RE: WTF?
By PandaBear on 2/16/2006 8:01:12 PM , Rating: 3
You sir, are a dumb f*** that has never lived in a suppressed country. People can't just leave and be an illegal immigrant somewhere else, it is not that simple.

My family was lucky enough to leave, but many of our relatives aren't.


RE: WTF?
By Ard on 2/16/2006 10:35:42 PM , Rating: 2
I'm sorry, but he's right to a point and you're a "dumbfuck" for calling him a "dumbfuck". The problem with America and the majority of Americans is that they can believe they can interject their own cultural views and dictate the social and political norms of another country. Sorry, but the world doesn't work that way.

What we believe is right and wrong pertains to us and us only. Do I agree with China's policies? Hell no. I think blatant censorship and arrests for political "disobedience" are draconian and smack in the face of liberty. However, it's not my place to decide that China's rights to privacy and freedom of speech are wrong.

The simple fact of the matter is this: China is a sovereign nation and has every right to decide what their citizens can and cannot view. Companies can either accept that view and do business or try to make a point about basic freedoms and not do business. Somehow I think companies care more about money than making a political statement about China.


RE: WTF?
By Jedix123 on 2/16/2006 10:57:49 PM , Rating: 2
China is a soverign state that is ruled by a few powerful and sometimes corrupt head who has little right to decide what their citizens can and cannot view.

Sorry I just couldn't believe your statement having lived in China and been a citizen.


RE: WTF?
By epadilla19 on 2/17/06, Rating: 0
RE: WTF?
By dmcanally on 2/17/2006 2:32:31 PM , Rating: 2
I may be an asshole for saying this, but it doesn’t seem that Chinese citizens are too interested in freedom or they would have had a revolution by now. I guess I just think that the only people that deserve freedom and liberty are the ones that are willing to fight and die for it. I am sorry if that hurts your feelings.

America had a revolution over a tax being to high. You are going to tell me that the chinese aren't willing to revolt over being enslaved?


RE: WTF?
By Jedix123 on 2/17/2006 7:07:59 PM , Rating: 2
The national economy is thundering ahead at an unprecedented growth rate several times that of the US, there is cheap medical care so you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to see the doctor, and with only knifes at their side, do you really think there's going to be an uprising?


RE: WTF?
By Plasmoid on 2/16/2006 8:07:47 PM , Rating: 3
But then its not easy to leave China.

Its not like the Chinese had much choice in their current form of goverment so i dont think its very nice to just stand back completly and ignore things.

As regards censorship as a whole, thats something we in the so called west are used to but dont know it. Google.fr is censored so nazi searches are more in line with what the goverment wanted. Newspapers cant actually print anything the want... just anything within reason.

For everything that is being brought up over the Chinese goverment on the internet you can fraw pretty glaring parallels with other western goverments. Its not like google isent being forced to turn over search data to the US goverment, and microsoft already has. As to wheter arrests coem from them i would say its quite likely.

The real problem I have is not with what the Chinese goverment is going, after all the internet is just a new form of media and its freedom leads to many problems. My problem, and I think the real problem, is that the laws being applied by Chinese govermentare morally wrong. But then, morals have always varied from country to country.


RE: WTF?
By dmcanally on 2/17/2006 2:34:00 PM , Rating: 2
It is either live as a slave or die free. Out of those options I will die free.


RE: WTF?
By Griswold on 2/17/2006 9:23:14 AM , Rating: 2
It might be not wrong where we live, but it is wrong in china and thats all that matters. With that said, I dont approve their business "methods".


RE: WTF?
By epadilla19 on 2/17/2006 10:35:21 AM , Rating: 2
"It might be not wrong where we live, but it is wrong in china and thats all that matters."

No, its not allowed by the current communist regime controlling(not leading) china. This government is not democratic, and does not allow its people full access to knowledge of the world it exists in, so we do not know that this is whta the chinese people want. It is also for this reason that chinas governemtn poses a threat to its own people, and the whole world. This is a crime against humanity, not just the chinese poeple.


wtf is US doing?
By NerV04 on 2/16/2006 7:48:33 PM , Rating: 1
i think the US should really stop meddling with other countries buisness. If china wants to prohibit its citizens from seeing something, its thier choice. Also what companies do in other countries should be the companies own decision i beleive. Not all countries is like america. So leave them be!




RE: wtf is US doing?
By rudy on 2/16/2006 8:01:33 PM , Rating: 3
I think you should stop meddling in the USAs business, if the USA wants to punish a company for something its thier choice, Also what the US government does with its companies is thier own decision. The US is not like all other countries, so leave them be!


RE: wtf is US doing?
By latrosicarius on 2/16/2006 8:49:12 PM , Rating: 2
No, it's not the US's place to approve or disapprove of what INTERNATIONAL companies are doing. Only the CHINESE corporate components is bending to China's whims.

Now, I'm all for the US of A, and I think China is a dumbf*** but still, our government should not be involved in essentially a foreign company's affairs. If we have a problem with what China is doing, then we should confront their GOVERNMENT face to face... not be like "hey U.S. Google, make your China side do what we say or we will fine you b/c we are too pus*** to yell at China ourselves."


RE: wtf is US doing?
By Griswold on 2/17/2006 9:35:55 AM , Rating: 2
International companies? Foreign companies? You do realize that all the listed corporations have their world HQ's inside the USA, do you? The vast majority of their money is in the US as well as their employees. So if you want to bite them, bite them where it hurts.


RE: wtf is US doing?
By Griswold on 2/17/2006 9:32:33 AM , Rating: 2
Wrong. I dont like how china is handling the situation. Theres nothing I can do about it besides voicing my opinion. But I also dont like how these companies suck up to the chinese government only to cash in on the big boom over there - this is where we, at least you americans, can do something and better damn well do so.

They grew big on our collective back because we live in a so called free part of the world - and now they help a regime to suppress their citizen only to grow even bigger - this feels like a slap to the face and I'm not even a US citizen.

Your congress should turn up the heat on them and grill em some more, so the media wont drop this topic too fast. Bad PR is the best pressure you can put on corporate giants.


Leave them alone
By bl4ck54bb4th on 2/16/2006 8:42:30 PM , Rating: 2
The issue here is that the US government has no right to punish corporations for their completely legal actions overseas. The Chinese government wants censorship, so there is nothing wrong with providing it for them. The US government has no jurisdiction over the people of China, so unless US corporations are breaking Chinese laws, I don't see the need for any punishment. We may not agree with China's politics, but our government has no right to interfere -- this is a question of the US government overstepping its bounds.




RE: Leave them alone
By qwertynerd on 2/16/2006 10:22:03 PM , Rating: 3
BTW, I forgot to mention that I'm was happily surprised to hear that these corporations were getting grilled by the US Congress. Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel after all.

Ignoring the Chinese goverment = Leaving them alone


RE: Leave them alone
By Xenoterranos on 2/17/2006 12:52:07 AM , Rating: 2
failure to act whilst staring corruption and immorality in the face can be, and ususaly is, a greater crime that said cprruption and immorality.


2nd
By tjr508 on 2/17/2006 4:05:20 AM , Rating: 3
Again, why is any government getting involved with internet content? This is just the chance for a bunch of congressmen to sound like heros by shouting out against sensorship while at the same time expanding the government's overall reach on such issues.

The only sensorship i am in favor of is that i wish MCI and ATT would get together to find a way to block most government(all governments included) propoganda, leaving the people with free thought.

This still doesnt mean we have to right to stick our noses in china's business. If i owned a company that could reach 187million customers, hell i would sensor all objectional material and then hire 5000 people to write stories about how good of a place china is to be.