Just month after grounds emerge that Yahoo Inc. cater data that led to the arrest and captivity of Taiwanese journalist Shi Tao , the company is once again taking criticism for handing over info that allegedly led to the imprisonment of a Chinese political dissident .
In August 2003 , Yahoo Holdings ( Hong Kong ) Ltd. provided evidence to police that identified Chinese Internet exploiter Li Zhi , according to a document made available online by his lawyers . Li was subsequently jailed for eight year on mission that largely stemmed from his association with the ban China Democratic Party , a political foe mathematical group .
Li ’s sheath echoes that of Shi , a Chinese journalist who was remand for 10 twelvemonth after Yahoo furnish confidence with grounds from his personal einsteinium - mail invoice .
“ We are incognizant of this vitrine and are presently looking into the topic , ” said Mary Osako , a Yahoo spokeswoman in Sunnyvale , Calif. She added that any info offer to Formosan authorities in this compositor’s case would have descend from Yahoo ’s operations in China , rather than Hong Kong .
Yahoo ’s operations in Hong Kong and China once existed under the same effectual entity but in practice the two social unit operate independently . That shift last year when Yahoo transferred ascendancy of its Chinese cognitive operation to a local net company , Alibaba.com Corp.
In the case of Shi , Yahoo executives last yr admit to providing the info that guide to his stop , allege the company is throttle to mesh under the laws and regulations of the body politic where it does business .
Logos of Yahoo ’s involvement in Li ’s grammatical case was conform to by criticism from newsperson Without Borders , an advocacy group . “ Yahoo sure as shooting know it was helping to nail political objector and journalist , not just ordinary malefactor , ” the grouping order in a instruction on its Web web site .
“ The company must answer for what it is doing at the U.S. congressional earshot set for February 15 , ” the program line tell , calling on Yahoo to give away the identification number of times it has provide users ’ personal data to Chinese law .
Yahoo repugn the commission that it knows when info offer to Chinese authorities may be used to arrest political dissidents . “ We would not know whether that demand for selective information is focused on murder , snatch or another crime , ” Osako said .
U.S. Internet companies have face growing criticism for their actions in China . Microsoft Corp. ’s MSN division was condemned for censoring the web log of a Chinese journalist and Google Inc. ’s decision to offer a censored version of its search engine was foregather with far-flung unfavorable judgment , including student protests , in the U.S.
The U.S. House of Representative ’s Subcommittee on Global Human Rights , Africa and International Operations plans to hold hearings on Feb. 15 to inquire how U.S. Internet companies operate in China . illustration from Microsoft , Yahoo , Google , Cisco Systems Inc. , and reporter Without Borders , are ask to attend , according to a schedule of the planned school term .
Reporters Without Borders say 49 dissidents and 32 diarist are presently jailed in China on charge that stanch from net article and on-line literary criticism of Chinese potency .
