Originally published February 26 2006
Yahoo draws heavy criticism for aiding Chinese government in persecution of political writers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Reporters Without Borders has released information about a Chinese political dissident named Li Zhi, whom Chinese authorities caught with information provided to them by Yahoo Inc.
A Yahoo Inc. unit provided information that led to an eight-year prison sentence for a Chinese dissident, an advocacy group for journalists said Wednesday, which would be at least the second time the company has aided Chinese authorities in their crackdown on protesters.
Yahoo Hong Kong provided electronic records that led to the conviction of dissident Li Zhi, according to Reporters Without Borders, which advocates on behalf of journalists.
Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako said Yahoo Hong Kong would not have had access to Li's Chinese account and that it never releases information to the Chinese government.
Officials for Yahoo have no information relating to Li and could not say if the Hong Kong unit provided information about Li's case, Osako said.
In October, Yahoo formed a partnership with Alibaba.com, which has responsibility for complying with Chinese authorities' requests for information going forward.
Osako said Alibaba.com operates and manages the Yahoo China business, with any future decisions left to those managers' discretion.
Reporters Without Borders said Yahoo and other online sites should locate their servers providing service to "repressive countries" in the United States so that governments must comply with U.S. law when getting information on users.
"Our first reaction is to be appalled at Yahoo helping to give information that puts dissidents in jail," Reporters Without Borders spokeswoman Lucie Morillon said.
Two weeks ago Yahoo's rival, Google Inc., raised the ire of members of Congress when it said it would introduce a site in China that would censor some search results to comply with that that country's laws on certain words.
The House of Representatives Committee on International Relations has scheduled a Feb. 15 hearing on the ethical responsibilities of companies doing business in China.
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