Hidden Nook
"Because in Cyberspace, no one can hear you scream."
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Is Yahoo Being Evil?
[Media Source*] It appears that when it comes to it's priorities, Yahoo places profits ahead of people. This comes as a disturbing sign, especially amongst bloggers as the last thing they need is a search engine working against them while living in a hostile environment.
(Blog Herald) The text of the verdict in the case of journalist Shi Tao - sentenced in April to 10 years in prison for "divulging state secrets abroad" - shows that Yahoo! Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd. provided ChinaÂs state security authorities with details that helped to identify and convict him, Reporters Without Borders said today.
Yahoo has been criticized in the past for turning a blind eye towards the Chinese populace, allowing censorship of not only it's search engine but also it's blog community (along with MSN) as well. China was able to apprehend Shi Tao after Yahoo supplied the government with his email address (along with his IP address) which allowed the regime to trace the signal back to Tao's personal computer.
Aged 37, Shi worked for the daily Dangdai Shang Bao (Contemporary Business News). He was convicted on 30 April of sending foreign-based websites the text of an internal message which the authorities had sent to his newspaper warning journalists of the dangers of social destabilisation and risks resulting from the return of certain dissidents on the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Although email companies are required to divulge information when shown a court order, Yahoo is setting a dangerous precedent for corporations in regions where freedom of speech is not highly appreciated. If Yahoo continues this pattern of exchanging freedom for profits, they may soon find themselves in last place among internet services.
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By Darnell Clayton ⢠12:49 PM ⢠Email Post ⢠â¢
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