Proposed law aimed at tech-China cooperation

[engine]

Nearly every U.S. company with a Web site located in China will have to move it elsewhere or its executives would face prison terms of up to a year, according to proposed legislation expected to be introduced this week in the U.S. Congress.

Proposed law aimed at tech-China cooperation [news.com.com]

[digitalghost]

Wow, the hypocrisy there is astounding. Godwin's Law present as well.

"For the sake of market share and profits, leading U.S. companies like Google, Yahoo, Cisco and Microsoft have compromised both the integrity of their product and their duties as responsible corporate citizens," Smith said at a related hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Smith, chairman of a human rights subcommittee, likened that cooperation to companies that aided the Nazis in World War II.

Let's rewrite that:

"For the sake of economic viability and profits, the U.S. government has compromised both the integrity of their ideals and their duties as responsible world citizens," Devil's Advocate said at a related hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. D. Advocate, chairman of the Irony of Ironies subcommittee, likened that cooperation to countries that aided the Nazis in World War II.

[oneguy]

Search engine companies must provide the Office of Global Internet Freedom--a new federal bureaucracy that would be created--with a list of verboten search terms "provided by any foreign official of an Internet-restricting country."

Ooooohhh! Ooooohhh! The Office of Global Internet Freedom! I can't wait.

I haven't read the draft (and don't even know if it's available to me), but this is the dumbest thing I've seen this week.

[LifeinAsia]

but this is the dumbest thing I've seen this week.

Hey, it's only Tuesday. The politicians still have 3 1/2 more days. ;)

[garyr_h]

And I always thought the best way to go at countries like China was to slowly allow more information in. By allowing search engines in, it lets the Chinese citizens know just a little more than what they would otherwise.

So if the US gov. doesn't let them in, what does that help? Doesn't it just slow down the freedom of information in China?

[LifeinAsia]

The Office of Global Internet Freedom sounds like as much double-speak as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (i.e., North Korea).

[walkman]

create one more fed gov agency! Problem solved, and chinese are now shaking in their boots. if that doesn't work, we can always create another one next week.

[Brad Bristol]

...Irony of Ironies...

It would be funny, if it were not true.

[rbarker]

Considering this thread and others, is WW banned in China?

[europeforvisitors]

I'd be less skeptical of the congressman behind this bill if he didn't support the Bush administration's economic ties with China.

There's nothing new about members of Congress introducing bills that haven't got a chance of being passed. I'm surprised that Brett, who's featuring this thread on the Webmaster World home page, was taken in by such an obvious example of political grandstanding.

[Shak]

Have any of you ever asked what a chinese surfer wants when searching on the web?

I happen to know quite a few 100 Chinese in China who I see on a regular basis, they come from all backgrounds and all income brackets, I have yet to meet 1 who has expressed an issue with censorship on the web (especially the whole google thing) as such.

and NO, WebmasterWorld is not banned in China,

Shak

[Interent Yogi]

Shak .. YET!