Yahoo Asks for Help over China Situation

[Brett_Tabke]

[zdnet.com.au...]

The company wants the US government to step into the row over China's approach to the Internet, claiming that Internet operators and communications companies need help.

"[This is] everyone's dilemma: operate in a country and comply with laws that lack transparency, or withdraw," Michael Callaghan, Yahoo's general counsel, told the FT. "No one company, no one industry can tackle this on its own, we very much look forward to taking this [to Washington]," said Callaghan.

[hitthedeck]

This is a disgrace.
Would they have serviced the criminal regimes of the 1930's(Russia & Germany) by "acting under local law"

[balam]

It's interesting that the company that assisted in the doling out of (at least) 18 year's worth of jail time and stands accused of "cheerfully sacrificing human rights in return for a cut of the Chinese market," should be the one saying something needs to be done about censorship in China.

I can say "damage control," can you?

[eaden]

hitthedeck - in a word, yes. Did you not read about IBM and the Holocaust in 1930's Germany? I'm sure there are many other stories of American companies working under 'local laws'.

It's a complicated problem for Yahoo, and it will be interesting to see how Washington can help.

[Soso]

What's more interesting, that the main Yahoo's argument may be flawed. According to the Chinese lawyer Guo Guoting, who was hired as Shi Tao’s (the guy who was arrested with the help of Y!) attorney:

“Yahoo! Inc. is Not under Any Legal Obligation to ‘Conform to the Laws of the Countries in Which They Operate.’” (...) “Yahoo! Inc. is obligated to first obey International Law. If the International Law happens to be in conflict with the laws in China or with the CCP’s strategies, then the International Law should take precedence, which is an internationally acknowledged principle. China is a signatory of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and of the International Covenant on Human Rights."

Source: [english.epochtimes.com...]

[leadegroot]

This is a joke, right?
The US government should start telling the Chinese government what to do?
Thats not how it works, babee...

[matimer]

If yahoo/google/msn ... no longer save the ip address of the user associated with their accounts, doesn't that remove the connection and the privacy concerns?

[Soso]

This is a joke, right?
The US government should start telling the Chinese government what to do?
Thats not how it works, babee...

Yes, it definitely should, before it will be too late. It is telling that to all authoritarian regimes, so why not to the Chinese gov?

[Essex_boy]

When dancing with the devil keep your hand on your gun.