The sunday edition this week carried an interesting op-ed on Yahoo and co for their willingness to do whatever the Chinese government asks of them when it comes to denying privacy. The article, entitled Yahoo Betrays Free Speech represents a long-overdue comment from the mainstream media on the hold US information companies to account for participation in the repression of freedom of speech. As the author notes:
Last January, Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey reintroduced the Global Online Freedom Act in the House. It would fine American companies that hand over information about their customers to foreign governments that suppress online dissent. The bill would at least give American companies a solid reason to decline requests for data, but the big Internet companies do not support it. That shows how much they care about the power of information to liberate the world.
Plus ca change?