Microsoft and Yahoo might not be able to agree on anything concerning a
buyout of Yahoo's search service, but there is one thing the two companies can
agree on -- a code of conduct for dealing with China is needed.
Microsoft, Yahoo, and search industry leader Google have joined together to
draft a code of conduct for dealing with China and other countries that
restrict internet liberties. The three firms say that the agreement between
them is voluntary and that the core principals will be announced later this
year.
Congress has been putting pressure on the search giants after the
possibility of China forcing the search engines to turn over data from internet
users at the Olympics -- including athletes, journalists, and visitors -- to
the government was raised leading up to the 2008 summer games.
The Chinese government used information including emails, log-on history,
and IP addresses given
to it by Yahoo to jail Shi Tao -- a Chinese dissident -- in November of
2007. Microsoft's Pamela S. Pressman, corporate vice president for global
affairs, told eWeek that over the
next few months work on the initiative would be finalized and the companies
would put the organizational commitments in place to implement the code of
conduct.
Pressman wrote, "We anticipate a more detailed public announcement to
launch the initiative sometime this fall."
According to eWeek, Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo revealed
the basics of the code of conduct to Senators Dick Durbin and Tom Coburn
after the Senators wrote a letter to the three search firms in July asking for
an update.
Yahoo VP and deputy general counsel Michael Samway wrote in a reply to the
Senators, "As you made clear in your letter, events around the world make
a code of conduct not just ideal, but essential, as companies and others work
to ensure the protection of basic human rights for citizens across the
globe."