Amnesty: Web companies violating rights

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By JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer

BEIJING - Amnesty International accused Yahoo, Microsoft and Google on Thursday of violating human rights principles by cooperating with China's efforts to censor the Web and called on them to lobby for the release of jailed cyber-dissidents.

The London-based human rights group also called on the Internet companies to publicly oppose Chinese government requests that violate human rights standards.

"The Internet should promote free speech, not restrict it. We have to guard against the creation of two Internets — one for expression and one for repression," said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty's U.S. branch, in a statement.

The companies "have violated their stated corporate values and policies" in their pursuit of China's booming Internet market, the statement said. It appealed to them to "call for the release of `cyber-dissidents.'"

Google Inc. and the Chinese partner that runs Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news)'s China operation, Alibaba.com, defended their activities and said their presence benefits China's public.

Google said in a written statement that its search engine discloses when results have been removed "in response to local laws and regulations" and that the company avoids offering services when it can't guarantee users' privacy.

Alibaba.com didn't respond directly to Amnesty's criticism but said its focus is on Internet commerce, not news and information.

"By creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and connecting China's exporters to buyers around the world, Alibaba.com and Yahoo China are having an overwhelmingly positive impact on the lives of average people in China," said Porter Erisman, an Alibaba.com spokesman, in a written statement.

rest of article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060720/ap_on_...hina_internet_3

[mercuryroad 0]

Those companies are just trying to get paid.

You have to take things in steps anyway. Forward progress is not always perfection but forward none-the-less. Things change and hopefully get better over time.