Yahoo weighs in on Chinese free speech (sort of)

[Babrbarossa]

Yahoo speaks out against the imprisonment of Chinese citizens who express political via e-mail or the internet- it does not, however, say that it will stop helping the Chinese gov't to spy on people who do. They say that they have to follow the local laws to do business there- what about the laws of the country in which they are incorporated? I don't know what the solution is, but it's a very vexing problem.

HONG KONG (AP) -- China should not punish people for expressing their political views on the Internet, Yahoo Inc. said Monday, a day after the mother of a Chinese reporter announced she was suing the U.S. company for helping officials imprison her son.
Yahoo criticized China in a brief statement that didn't specifically mention the case of jailed journalist Shi Tao, whose mother visited Hong Kong on Sunday. Shi was sentenced to 10 years in 2005 after sending an e-mail about Chinese media restrictions.
The company has acknowledged sharing information about Shi with Chinese authorities.
"Yahoo is dismayed that citizens in China have been imprisoned for expressing their political views on the Internet," the company said in the statement faxed to The Associated Press, which asked Yahoo to comment on Shi's lawsuit.
The Internet company, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., also said it has told China that it condemns "punishment of any activity internationally recognized as free expression."
However, Yahoo added that companies operating in China must comply with Chinese law or risk having their employees face civil or criminal penalties.
Shi was writing for the financial publication Contemporary Business News when he circulated an e-mail with his notes about a government circular about media restrictions. He was convicted of leaking state secrets.

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