February 11, 2006

Yahoo! helps China jail dissidents - claim

by Brian Turner

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Yahoo! has been accused of helping Chinese authorities jail a second dissident.

Li Zhi was jailed for 8 years in 2003 for posting messages criticising corruption in the Chinese government. It is claimed that data provided by Yahoo! was instrumental in his convinction.

The claim comes after the company came under fire last year for collecting data on journalist Shi Tao, which led to his imprisonment.

According to Reporters Without Borders, there are 81 dissidents in Chinese prisons as a result of internet activity, and is demanding to know how many are due to actions of Yahoo!

While ISP’s are obligated to provide data upon request to governments, the position of companies such as Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Google in China is becoming increasingly contentious.

US companies are eager to tap into the Chinese consumer market, but there are concerns that their data collection and censorship of information is proving too helpful for the promotion of human rights abuse.

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Story link: Yahoo! helps China jail dissidents - claim

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