State Dept., Internet cos., human rights groups grapple with censorship

Google, Yahoo, Microsoft ask for government guidance on dealing with demands from repressive governments for censorship, Internet usage information.

Under fire from Congress and the American public, as well as by internal dissension from employees, over their compliance with censorship demands from China and other repressive regimes, the big Internet companies called on the US government to provide some guidance on how to respond to censorship demands, reports.

Yahoo was roundly castigated by Reporters Without Borders, human rights groups and this publication for participating in the arrest of a Chinese reporter last year.

At a US State Dept conference, Yahoo's deputy general counsel Michael Samway pointed out that under US law, ISPs can't decide whether to obey or refuse a subpoena - and they shouldn't be asked to be moral gatekeepers when confronted with orders from foreign governments. "That's why we need the government's help," he said.



While China is the top concern in censorship - since so many American companis are fighting for a piece of the massive opportunity that is the burgeoning Chinese economy - human rights groups emphasized that the problem is much bigger.



The problem is exacerbated in part because "censorship" is a nuanced concept, from outright political imprisonment in some countries to investigations of hate crimes in others.


One proposal, introduced in a bill by Rep. Christopher Smith, a New Jersey Republican, and supported by Amnesty International, is prohibit U.S. companies from turning over personal information about their subscribers to governments in those locales except for "legitimate law enforcement purposes." "We would urge U.S. corporations to use this law as a cover to say, 'We can't abide by what's being asked in different countries,'" Amnesty's T. Kumar said.
